


Breathe Into Me

by Lananiuska



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-06-27 01:09:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 59,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19780132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lananiuska/pseuds/Lananiuska
Summary: Once again getting caught into the mess that is pixie dust, Regina is forced into a situation where she can find love again. It’s not much of a choice per se, but as things keep happening she becomes aware that it’s either learn to love or lose it all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is actually a story I started writing six years ago. It was back when Regina and Robin hadn’t met but when I started to like the idea that they were meant to be together. Meaning: Most of this is made out of nothing and probably won’t fit into the show’s plot. It will take place right when they were in Neverland and from there I picked up. Anyway, just recently I decided to continue with this so I’ll little by little post it here.  
> It will have some descriptions of violence, mentions of past abuse and maybe some triggering themes, but nothing too graphic. Other than that enjoy.

_Her feet seemed to move on their own accord as she ran into the forest. She ran barefoot and aimlessly, moving without a real sense of direction as the unmerciful breeze of the night filled her lungs with frost._

_It was dark; the thick foliage was preventing the pale light of the moon to illuminate the path ahead as she advanced so it was as if she was guided by pure instinct. Branches hit her face, pebbles of rocks incrusted themselves into the delicate skin of her feet and inhaling into the cold air was creating a dull ache in her chest; but even though she was in great discomfort she knew that she needed to keep going or she was going to lose him for good._

" _Henry!"_

_Her notion of time and space were distorted in her head… she was lost, her legs were on fire and her clothes were sticking to her body due to perspiration. She didn't know where she was, all she knew was that she has been running like this for a long time. Maybe it has been ages since she began to move in such a frenzy, but even with exhaustion making her breathing come out in short puffs and even with a nagging pain taking residence at her side, Regina couldn't just stop running._

_No, she needed to get to Henry and she had a strong feeling in her gut that she was getting nearer and nearer to her son and that any delay could become fatal._

" _Henry!"_

_She called out for what felt like the hundredth time; her voice echoing loud and clear. He was close, she could feel him and that only meant that she was about find him and save him from Peter Pan. But while she waited for a response from the boy, she took a wrong step that made her stumble and before she could react, she fell on her hand and knees._

_Gasping at the impact, the dark-haired woman closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath and gather the strength to get up on her feet to keep on with her search… but she couldn't, her body wasn't cooperating and even though her determination hadn't faltered, she just couldn't get up._

" _I can't…"She panted and the impotence to will her body into moving made her sob. She has never felt so weak, so powerless._

" _You never try hard enough at anything."_

_Henry… she recognized the familiar voice and her head shoot up, her brown eyes scanning her surroundings until she saw him, sitting over a rock with his back to her._

" _Henry." Relieved, Regina smiled and closed her eyes to try and gain some composure but still, she couldn't get up. Her body felt heavy as stones and the only thing she was able to do was to sit down on the grass. "Are you okay? God, you don't know how long I've been searching for you."_

" _Liar."_

" _What?" Her smiled died on her lips and her hand tried to reach out for him. "I'm not-" What was he talking about, why was he calling her a liar…_

" _All you ever say to me are lies; you lied to me when you said you were my mom, you lied when you said that you were going to change for me and you lied when you said that you loved me."_

_His words stunned her and she meant to say something… anything to refute such a harsh statement, but whatever there was to say got stuck in her throat and she couldn't spit it out._

" _You can't love anyone because you have no heart."_

_Again, words were failing her so she reached for her chest and took out her heart; her intentions had been to show him that even though black, she still had a heart and that it belonged only to him. But when she lifted the enchanted organ up, all she saw in her hand was putrefaction and worms._

_She yelped in repulsion, throwing away the handful of worms as confusion clouded her mind._

" _See," The boy said in a flat voice while turning around to revealing a pair of empty sockets where his eyes used to be. "You have no heart and now you can't save me because darkness can't drive out darkness!" With that said, the boy got up and stomped his foot over what was left of her heart._

XxXxXxX

Regina woke up startled and with the menace of a sob trying to break out from her lips. She covered her mouth in case it escaped, but even though the effort to keep in down took all the strength she seemed to possess, she couldn't help but to muffle a gasp against the palm of her hand.

Frightened that someone might have heard her, she sat frozen and silent; barely aware that when her body reacted to waking up from the nightmare it moved with a violent jerk that sprung her forward and that was how she ended up sitting in the middle of the campfire. That was how she remained, a trembling hand pressing to her lips, her brown eyes wide and staring blankly ahead and her breathing struggling to get back to normal.

'It was just a dream.' She tried to comfort herself, but the truth was that the memory of the dream left her shaking and disconcerted.

Oh but her pride was stronger than any other feeling she could have so rushing to her feet she walked into the forest and away from the others. She did it automatically, knowing that it wouldn't do for the Charming fools and even less Emma and Hook to see her in such a weaken state.

She didn't want them to know that she was having constant nightmares and she didn't want them to know how much they really affected her. No, she would hate for them to know as the last thing she wanted was to appear weak or unstable.

Walking blindly as she has done in her dream, Regina got swallowed by the darkness of the night. It didn't frighten her though; since she has been in Neverland for some time now looking for her son she knew where she was headed and she knew the way.

Once she reached the stream, the dark-haired woman crouched down and gathered some of the cold crystal water with her hands to splash it into her face

"Henry." The name escaped her lips in a daze, her hand automatically finding its way to her chest to press her palm against the rapid beating of her heart. Yes, the heart was there and judging by the constant thud against her ribcage, functioning perfectly well.

'It was just a nightmare.' She repeated in her mind, but as her eyes closed and more water was splashed against her face she heard something move in the woods behind her and her breathing halted, her trained ears were on full alert now.

For a second an image of her nightmare flashed behind her closed eyelids… but then it was gone and a clearer idea of what was moving took over her mind.

More aware of her surroundings and the situation at hand, Regina kept her eyes closed. Whatever, or better yet, whoever was behind her wasn't trying to be subtle, but at the same time not too loud either.

He or she was just standing out there, watching her.

"Tinker Bell."

Yeah, she couldn't see the fairy but she could feel her lurking around. The hesitance to approach, the need to do it… the inner battle of doing the right thing versus doing what her gut was telling her to do consuming her.

It couldn't be anybody else.

Blinking her eyes open as if it was the most natural thing for her, she asked calmly. "Came to finish the job, didn't you?"

For a moment there was no response, the somewhat eerie sounds of the night echoing all around them. But then she heard the fairy approaching and her hands flexed in reflex, ready to strike if necessary.

Now she hadn't been expecting Tinker Bell to still feel it in her to kill her, but she could understand it. Not that she was going to let it happen; the fairy had her chance and didn't take it so Regina wasn't going to make the same offer twice.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance, now it's not going to happen."

"You should talk to somebody about those nightmares."

Snorting bitterly, Regina shook her head and then clenched her jaw. "I don't know what you are talking about." She tried to make her voice as neutral as she could and she succeeded.

"You can talk to me; you were always a lonely woman and with that bitterness consuming you I don't think you have many friends to talk to."

Getting to her feet and turning around so that she could face the disheveled blonde, Regina's expressions turned somber and if it wasn't because of the angry spark in her warm chocolate eyes, one would think that the subject bored her. "I don't need friends and I don't need you to turn into another Archie."

"Of course you don't. What you need is to find your true love. Regina, listen to me. It's not too late for you or for him; I've been turning this in my head since I saw you so I went to the Oracle and she let me see it all in my head. It was clear as water so I'm going to give you another chance, it will not be an easy road but it can happen if you let it happen."

"You know-" Regina snorted, looking up to the skies and shaking her head. "I don't know what's with you and your obsession to play Dr. Love with me but drop it already. I mean no wonder you failed the fairy training, it was Cupid you should have applied to." Lowering her eyes back to the woman, Regina clenched her jaw. "I don't need love, so if you really want to help me go find my son and bring him back to me."

With that said Regina made a grimace and throwing her hands in the air, she made to walk away.

But before she could take a step, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Tinker Bell threw something to the water and then she was being shoved hard.

"I won't fail in this one, Regina, I won't."

Caught off guard, she stumbled on her feet and fell into the water. Only that there was no water, what she felt all around her was the feeling of dropping into emptiness. It was as if she was falling into a deep void and no matter how hard she tried to use magic to get back on her feet, she just couldn't.

It took her a few seconds to realize that she was falling through a portal.

'How?' She meant to ask Tinker Bell, but the image of the fairy looking down on her as she unwillingly descended slowly disappeared and then a slashing sound made her close her eyes.

And that's when she hit the water, hard.

Opening her mouth to protest the pain it caused her to fall into the water and being only able to swallow a mouthful of it, Regina opened her eyes and swirled around.

She didn't like the way the water was embracing her whole as it engulfed her into its mysterious darkness and she liked even less the fact that no matter how hard she tried to swim to the surface, she was stuck in the same place.

She was using her hands and legs but she was going nowhere. She tried for what felt like minutes, and when her lungs started screaming in pain and eventually sending a bolt of discomfort right into her chest, she opened her mouth to scream.

It was the most distressing feeling she has ever felt, not being able to breathe, losing control… it was the ultimate vengeance on Tinker Bell's part and if it wasn't because she was desperate and scared to the bone, she would have laughed at the fact that in the end, a fairy was going to be the one to kill her.

But she wasn't going to go without a fight so she tried to use magic. It didn't work so she kicked and kicked as icy fingers of black water tightened around her throat

But then, when all hope was gone and her hold on life was disintegrating through her fingers, she felt something grab her and guide her upward. She didn't know what it was, but when she broke into the surface and took that first breath of air there was nothing but relief. Sure, she took that breath between a fit of coughing, but it was a very welcomed breath.

"That's it; breathe through your nose, slowly." The voice that whispered the words into Regina's ears was kind and almost soothing, but it made her tense nonetheless.

With her breathing somehow stable, she blinked her stinging eyes rapidly while becoming suddenly aware that what got her out of the water has been a man, a man that was now holding her. One hand was wrapped around her waist and resting on her stomach and the other one he was using to swim to what she assumed was the shore.

Her back was to him so she couldn't see him, but as soon as she was able to she pushed his hand away and tried to use magic to send him far.

"Get your hands off of me." She snapped in typical Regina fashion and even though she just had a close encounter with death and he saved her, her voice didn't even tremble.

Her attempt of magic was in vain though and her effort of getting away from his grip was killed when he grabbed her in place once more.

"Easy there or we will both end right in the bottom."

She gasped in frustration and clenched her teeth so hard that a dull ache started to form in her jaw. But she let him take her to the shore and when her feet could touch the ground, she pulled away

Turning around and lifting a hand to send him flying away from her, she bared her teeth. She was on the defensive, she was aware of that and she wanted him to know too, but much as it happened before, her attempt of magic came up short.

It disconcerted her some and she blinked a couple of times as she tried to figure out what was going on.

"Are you alright there? That was an awful fall you took… and out of nowhere." The man said, brushing his hair out of his face and wiping water out of his eyes. "You are lucky me and the boy were passing by."

The sound of his voice made her fully turn towards him and the first thing she noticed were his eyes. In the darkness she couldn't see what color they were exactly, but they seemed sparkling along with the moonlight. It was almost an amicable gaze, which made her level of defenses go higher.

She also noticed that he was dressed in what suspiciously seemed like 'Enchanted Forest' clothes and at the thought of that her stomach tied in a knot.

"No need to thank me now though." The man was studying her unashamedly; his eyes scanning her face and clothes and even frowning a little. "You are not from around here, as I'm sure I've never seen you before so tell me, where did you come from?"

"I don't have to tell you anything." But yet, she remained there, her eyes on his and her head held up high. Yes, she was dripping wet, yes she was cold and she was even trembling in the chilly night, but she needed to maintain some control over the situation.

Her fingers flexed and she hoped something would come out of that movement, anything… but nothing happened.

Chuckling, the man reached for a long hooded coat that was in the ground and after dusting it off, he offered it to her. "I'm Robin Hood."

Regina didn't take the offering; she just arched an eyebrow as everything clicked. Yes, the man, the clothes, the name…

She has heard of him, a long time ago when she was the reigning Queen of The Enchanted Forest and reports of the man and his band of thieves were sent to her from her guards.

She would have dealt with him, but she has been so busy with Snow.

"You are a thief." Regina said as a matter of fact and Robin smiled, using his fingers to scratch his beard.

"So you heard of me?" With a big dimple smile, he reached forward and threw his coat over Regina's shoulders, creating a sense of warm that she was unable to refute. "And yet you are still not telling me who you are."

Pursing her lips, she tilted her head to the side. Their eyes were glued together and for some reason she couldn't look away. "You really don't know who I am?"

"I don't… but I'm very curious. It's not every day that it rains fair ladies for me to save."

Regina would have laughed at what he said; she a fair lady? With such a statement it was obvious that he really didn't know who she was. But before she could react to his words she heard footsteps approaching and a woman's voice calling for Robin.

"Robin, Roland told me that you-"

All of a sudden the woman stopped in her tracks as she stared at the new comer; it gave Regina no choice other than to hold her head even higher while pushing the inside of her teeth with her tongue.

She had an idea of what was running through the other woman's mind and her suspicious were corroborated when she drew a sword and pointed it her way.

"Don't move or I will not hesitate on using this."

"Mulan? What are you doing?" Robin's voice came out in shock and Regina smirked.

No; he didn't know who she was but the woman did. "Are you sure you want to use that, little girl?" Her eyes moved to Mulan, and even though she was aware that magic wasn't working for her, she made a motion with her hand as if she was throwing something at her.

Mulan cringed and stepped back, but as soon as she realized nothing happened, she did a quick maneuver and hit Regina at the back of her legs with the flat of the sword.

"Mulan!

Regina fell on her knees and in a matter of nothing the edge of the sword was resting against her throat. It would be a better death than drowning so she smirked, welcoming it. "Do it."

"Enough of this nonsense." Robin said as he grabbed Mulan by the arm and dragged her away from Regina. "What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?"

"What am I doing? Have you gone mad? This woman will kill us all and you don't want me to do something about it?"

Robin frowned, looking at Regina and then at Mulan. "Do you know who she is?"

Mulan did a double take, Regina saw the exchange from her place on the ground. In that moment she tried once again for magic to come to her, but nothing was happening.

"You don't know who she is? Robin, this woman is the Queen, the Evil Queen. She is the witch that casted the curse that destroyed this land and swept everyone else into another world."

Robin's expression turned to somber and he ran both his hands through his still wet hair. Then he turned around and looked up to the dark skies. "Are you certain?"

"Of course I am; so should I kill her now?" Mulan asked, grabbing the sword with both her hands as if to strike her.

Regina just watched, holding her breath but smirking all the same. She wasn't going to say a word, not unless she was sure she could get an upper hand and right now the odds were against her.

"No. Tie her up and let's bring her to camp."

Snorting, Mulan shook her head. "So she could kill us all? Robin…"

The man turned back and Regina saw that his eyes were not sparkling anymore, but they still fixed deep into her warm brown stare. She would have look away if her pride would let her, but at the same time she knew she couldn't look away because there was something about those eyes that made her unable to move, or breathe… or anything.

She couldn't quite get it.

"If she could kill us she would have done it already. Tie her up and bring her."

"Fine, but I'm still not taking any chances. With that said, Mulan went again to hit her the Queen with the flat of her sword, only that this time she hit the back of her head so that Regina's world went black….


	2. Chapter 2

"What are we going to do with her?"

As the question was thrown in the air and left floating around so that he could grasp it, Robin Hood began to tap his lean long fingers impatiently against the polished wood of his bow. For several seconds he did this, holding his breath and trying to come up with a reasonable answer he could muster; but when nothing came he just released the breath and remained immobile.

He sat like that for a while, and other than his restless digits he basically sat without moving a muscle, his blue colored eyes fixed in an undefined spot right ahead of him.

"I say we should burn her."

He heard someone say, and soon after a few others agreeing.

"Not before we cut her head off; we can never be sure when it comes to witches."

Looking up, he saw that all around him his Merry Men were approving; some by nodding their heads and others being more vocal, yelling and calling for it to happen at once.

The whole thing was insane, the tension emanating from everyone was so thick he could almost choke with it and the pressure of being the one to decide was provoking a dull but insistent ache to form inside his skull.

Overall, the situation around him disconcerted him as he couldn't just fathom the idea of killing the Queen. Aye, if half the things that were said about her were truth then there was no denying that the woman was evil and a menace to everyone, but at the same time he couldn't just come to terms with the alternatives his men were suggesting.

"The men are getting impatient; you have to decide what to do." Mulan, who has been standing by his side in utter silence said.

"What do you think I should do?" He asked in a low whisper so that she would be the only one to hear; but to that question he already had the answer. Mulan has been the first to suggest killing the Queen and her animosity towards the woman was palpable.

"You know what I think." She said, her voice flat.

Blowing out a breath, Robin forced himself out of his thoughts and running a hand through his hair, he got to his feet to try and figure out what should they do.

He cleared his throat before speaking, hoping that he could come up with the best answer to their problem.

"Kill her, kill the Queen, you all say." He said, his voice firm and loud making everyone turn their attention on him. "But are you even certain she is indeed the Queen, have you seen her before?"

He knew that he had never laid his eyes on the infamous Queen and he couldn't associate the woman he rescued from the sea with such an evil creature. No, evil could hardly fit the first impression he got from her because instead of acting as a woman with such terrible reputation, she reacted more like a cornered wild cat feeling threatened.

But at the same time there was a nagging feeling inside of him telling him that it was her indeed. To start it off he has heard people talk about the Queen's striking beauty and there was no doubt that the woman was beautiful and fit the description perfectly; raven hair, flawless skin, a pair of dark eyes that could entrance you just by staring at them long enough…

Then there was her attitude, the woman definitely carried herself like someone of her lineage only could. Haughty, proud and why not, that way of looking at people as if they were way low bellow her wasn't helping her.

"I've seen her, I went to see her failed execution and that woman right there is none other than the Evil Queen."

Robin bit the inside of his cheek and nodded as everyone started talking at once again.

"Then why isn't she using magic?" Little John said and Robin was glad that his friend and companion was on his side in this one. "Do any of you think that the powerful Evil Queen would be tied and at our mercy instead of killing us all?"

"Maybe she lost her magic; things are strange since she cursed this land so who's to say her power is not what it used to be?"

With Little John's words everyone started speculating back and forth about what could be stopping her, how and when should they kill her and such things.

It was too much for Robin so he turned around and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Mulan asked as she began walking after him.

"I'm going to see her and perhaps get her to talk?"

"That's dangerous, you shouldn't go by yourself. I'll get my sword and go with you."

Robin sighed as he remembered looking into the Queen's eyes back at the coast. He has stared deep into her warm stare back then and something about what he saw there has left his mind swirling nonstop, and as long as he could remember her piercing eyes on his, he couldn't bring himself to sentencing her to death.

"No, I'll go alone. I'm not afraid of her." With that said, he grabbed a flask filled with water, a loaf of bread and started walking towards the place in the woods where his men had tied the Queen.

She was several yards from the camp, as the men didn't dare having her closer and as he made his way over, he came to think that it must be disturbing to be left tied and alone in the dark. He has been a prisoner before and he could hardly say that the experience has been a joyful one, but at least he hadn't been left out in the open.

"Well at least no one is torturing her." He said out loud.

He advanced, the voices of the Merry Men becoming dim until nothing could be heard but the usual sounds of night all around him.

When he finally spotted her, his jaw clenched and for some reason, his mood started to sour. The Queen was already awake and looking blankly ahead. That was the first thing he noticed, but what had his mood turning to acrid was that she was tied to a tree, a rope around her neck holding her secure to the trunk, another one by her midsection and of course, even more rope bounding her hands and feet.

Aye, he told his men to tie her up, but this was too much.

"Bunch of wankers." He mumbled, walking closer and closer and then crouching in front of her so that he could at least cut her restrains around her neck.

The Queen didn't even blink as he got close, and when he took his dagger out she didn't even flinch, she just snarled the corner of her lips and focused her eyes on what he was doing.

The fire in her eyes made him swallow hard down because there was no doubt that she was beyond angry and if the woman would chose to externalize that anger, he could become the next victim of her well known wrath. But nothing happened and he had to flash a faint smile at the thought that she could kill him, and yet she wouldn't do it.

"My apologies about this, milady, I didn't know…" He began to say as he cut the rope. Once it fell to the ground his eyes immediately took notice of the way the rope had unmercifully cut the tender skin.

The sight made him stick to his decision of not killing her. How could he do it? It may be a mistake he could regret a thousand times later on, but he just couldn't do it.

"I brought you some bread and water; it's hard and a little stale but it will fill your belly all the same."

The Queen narrowed her eyes in what he thought was a distrustful gesture, but then she lifted her head and looked away. "I don't need anything from you, thief."

Robin licked his lips, watching her closely. "Listen." He started to say, unsure if he should call her Queen, Regina or just milady. None of them sounded right so he decided to skip formalities. "It is one thing to be proud and another to be foolish. You need to eat."

Her lips curved into a bitter smile but she didn't look at him. "Is there a point to it? You are going to kill me either way."

"What makes you think that?"

This time the dark-haired woman looked at him, her eyes finding his to look deep into them.

Robin held her stare, part of his mind telling him that he should look away. After all wasn't this the woman that could bewitch a man to her will just by looking at him? He has heard that, somewhere… and in that moment he could believe it.

Clicking his tongue, he put the flask down and casually looked behind his back. "My men back there are claiming for your head." He whispered.

"And what's stopping them?" She whispered back and he just had to look back at her.

"Well… me; just me for now."

Her lips parted as if she was about to say something, but then she closed her mouth and smirked. "Let them come." Maybe she meant it to look as if the whole thing was indifferent to her, but he was able to see past that.

It was as it happened back at the coast and Mulan had her on her knees and with her sword at her neck; back there she had tried to look tough as nails and she even provoked Mulan to do it with her attitude, but somehow, to Robin it all seemed as a façade.

But he could play along. "You are not afraid of losing your head and then getting burned?"

Regina rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "This is not my first encounter with death, Robin Hood, so do you really think that I'm afraid of a band of thieves thirsty of justice?" She shook her head and smiled viciously. "Let them come, I can kill them all before they even get to touch me, and all without breaking a sweat."

Robin tilted his head to the side. He wanted to say that if she would be able to do such a thing, she would have done it a long time ago. But instead he blew out a breath and grabbed the flask to offer it silently.

Regina didn't make any attempt to reach it so he neared it to her lips and arched an eyebrow. "That sounds like a bloody lot of work to me so you better eat something first. I wouldn't want our Queen to exhaust herself."

Her brows furrowed and she blinked rapidly at his words. "Are you mocking me, thief?" Her voice sounded indignant and he snorted.

"Not at all." He said moving the flask a bit closer. "I'm just trying to get you into drinking and maybe eating something."

Much to his surprise, she moved her head and drank. Robin's lips curved as he observed her, wondering about everything he has heard of her.

The infamous Evil Queen… it was hard to look over all that she was and everything she represented, but there was also something about her that was drawing him in. He couldn't put his finger on it though.

"How… how comes that a woman that has it all becomes the feared Evil Queen?"

Regina swallowed down the water and then shrugged. "And what makes you think that I ever had what I wanted? Marrying a man that doubled my age and becoming Queen was hardly my dream come true."

"So I take you were not very fond of our Benevolent King." The blue eyed man said just to say something.

"Benevolent? Do you even know what he was? What he…" She laughed eerily and there was a flash of anger as she said that, and for a moment Robin saw the evil in her. But then it faded and it was replaced by pain and sorrow. "I hated the King; that's why I had him killed."

Lowering his eyes and sensing that she was once again using that façade of toughness as maybe a mechanism of defense, he tried to understand where she was coming from.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked with a pang of sympathy at the thought of what could have turned her this way. Yeah, he knew how those in power could abuse the defenseless and maybe Regina has just been that when she wedded him as such a tender age as she had.

Mariam was set to marry a pig of a Lord before she ran away with him so she could have ended like that… had she lived that was.

"Getting to know me won't make killing me easier." Her eyes rolled as if the question annoyed her.

"Hmm," He mumbled, pouring water into his hand and then pressing it against her abused neck. "I'm not going to kill you, Regina." He said, taking the liberty of using her name.

As he touched her, he felt her tense, her eyes even becoming a little wider as his finger ran through the red mark on her skin.

"But you also need to understand why I can't set you free. We have enough with the trolls and… you are a menace." And he had Roland to think about. He didn't want more peril to come to his life and The Evil Queen back in the Enchanted Forest was just that.

He dropped his hand away and looked down, breaking the bread and feeding it to her. She ate in silence, her face becoming stoic as she ate from his hand.

Once she was done and once she washed the bread down with water, she moved her face to his. "You can't keep me tied here forever. I need to get out of the Enchanted Forest and back to Neverland; my son is there and I need to find him."

"Your son?" How come? Neal, the man who much like her appeared out of nowhere also had a son in that strange land and the memory of what he put Roland through to help Neal made him tense his jaw. And what was that about the Queen having a son?

Shaking out of his trance, he delved deep into the brown eyes of the Queen, finding something close to desperation reflecting in them. The look she was giving him made his heart skip a beat and he had to swallow hard down.

What was this woman doing to him?

"You are not staying here; Evil Queen and all it would be inhuman. I'm going to take you into Rumplestilskin's castle." Yes, there were many rooms in there where he could keep the woman confined until he could decide what to do with her.

Hopefully, he would not regret it.

As he untied her, he missed the devious smile forming in Regina's lips at the thought of going to the Dark One's castle. Oh she was sure that Rumple left behind a lot of things she could use to make a portal and when she could find them, things would turn to her favor once again.

With those thoughts invading her mind, she looked at Robin and tried to push out of her mind the feeling of uncertainty he was provoking in her. She didn't know what it was about him but it was definitely making her feel out of her element.

But no, she couldn't waste her thoughts on him. Moving her eyes away, she stared intently at the tree standing opposite to her; she stared until her eyes watered and when a branch moved with the sole power of her mind, she grinned.


	3. Chapter 3

She was going to kill Tinker Bell. That was the first thing to come into her mind when she woke up tied to a tree and with her head unmercifully pounding inside her skull. Sure, that line of thought began the previous night when her fate was uncertain, but even though she was no longer in peril and she could feel the situation starting to turn to her favor, she was still unable to push the thought completely away.

So yes, she was going to kill her and as the hours went by she even came with a few ideas of how to do it. What else was to be expected? There was nothing else to do in the precarious situation she found herself to be in and as she waited for something to happen, the options of ending the blonde's life began to range from plain cruel to the most ridiculous.

Ripping her heart out and crushing it was the one that prevailed, but she had also considered turning her to stone, choking her with her bare hands or maybe even drowning her, a fate she almost suffered herself thanks to the so called fairy.

But first… in order to do any of that she needed to get out of the Enchanted Forest and back to Neverland.

Lifting her head high and feeling as the bitter cold swept all around her, Regina tried to come up with a plan to do that. Robin said that he was going to take her to Rumple's castle and that could only be good. It was also good that her magic was slowly coming back and she only hoped that by the time they arrived there she would be able to do more than moving some branches.

But if her magic wasn't completely back by then she would need to buy some time for it to either come back on its own or for her to find something in the castle that could help her in that department; and despite her need to retaliate and her inability to do so was making her mood sour, she knew that to achieve that time she would need to be in her best behavior with her captors… at least for the time being.

It wouldn't do for them to tie her up again, not when her magic wasn't strong enough to unbind her.

Straightening her posture and automatically leaning forward when she felt her back press to a solid chest, Regina bit the inside of her cheek and fought against the urge of jumping from the horse and away from his closeness.

It would be suicide though so she remained still, feeling as Robin rode fast and wildly, flying low across the valley as the fields ahead of them swallowed them into its verdant vastness.

To Regina it felt as if his horse was racing against the wind, its expert hooves steady and fearless and despite the situation at hand, she couldn't help but to think that it has been ages since she rode like that.

For a second, she closed her eyes and ignored the nagging headache that Mulan's blow provoked, she forgot all about the anger that was consuming her whole and she just enjoyed the long forgotten feeling of freedom that riding a horse used to leave in her.

It also made her think of Daniel, of their short time together, of what it could have been with him and never was…

Blinking her eyes open and her grip clutching tightly at the poor horse's mane, Regina pushed the memory of him to the back of her mind.

She didn't want to think of Daniel, not when she needed to focus on getting out of the Enchanted Forest and definitely not when the man imprudently close to her was making her feel anxious, edgy and more than a little uncertain.

It was unsettling; he was perturbing her in unimaginable ways and definitely making her feel out of her element; and even though she tried to convince herself that he was making her feel like that because he saved her life not only by rescuing her from the sea but also by stopping his men and Mulan from killing her, something inside her mind was telling her that in was something deeper.

She didn't like it, the way he was making her feel was not welcome so she tried to get into a more comfortable set of mind, thinking about creating a portal so she could get out of there. But even though getting out of there was vital, thinking about that was making her head spin out of control and she just wished she could stop thinking.

So, forcing her mind clear of everything, Regina looked up. It was still early in the morning, with the sun shining shyly behind distant mountains and the round moon just a fading face drawn in the sky.

As her eyes took on everything, she couldn't help but to notice that even the sky was different than Storybrooke, it was a quality you wouldn't be able to get anywhere else and even though sore and impatient, a dull sense of nostalgia settled in her chest.

'This isn't your home anymore.' She thought. 'Not without Henry.'

After a while of more riding, the black-haired woman felt their pace slowing down and eventually come to a halt and she scanned the panorama. The tall grass that surrounded them swayed as the cold breeze carried the scent of flowers and she breathed deep into it.

She tried her best to let her mind get lost in the beauty of it all and just ignore the sensations provoked by Robin's body rocking against hers.

Ahead of them, the plain stretched out to the horizon, green and endless. There was also a castle, outlined in the distance as it rose in the sea of grass.

Was that it? Was that Gold's castle?

"Mulan, why don't you go ahead and take Roland out. Take him back with Little John."

Regina startled. She has been so warped up in her own mind that she hadn't expected to hear his voice, and let alone so close to her ear; after all none of them had spoken a word through the entire journey.

Out of the corner of her eye, Regina saw Mulan's horse slow to a stop next to Robin's. "And when would you have me send invitations to the Queen's welcoming banquet? I can invite the trolls as her guests of honor."

Robin puffed out a breath, Regina could feel it as it brushed against her cheek and at that exact moment, the bitter coldness of the morning made her shudder involuntary.

"Mulan, we are not going to go through this conversation again."

As he said that, the young woman's eyes settled on Regina's and she allowed her lips to curve into an unabashed smirk. She didn't like Mulan, and once her magic was back she was going to make her know.

Lifting her head and her eyes refusing to leave the other woman's, Regina saw as Mulan rolled her eyes and started galloping towards the castle.

For a few minutes she just watched her go, but when she felt Robin's arm pressing against her own, she was brought back to reality. She shifted in the saddle, there was no way to escape his closeness.

"We are going to wait a while here, do you want to stretch your legs?" With that said, Robin climbed out of the horse and looked up at her.

Regina didn't say anything; she just took a moment to really observe him. She has been riding with her back to him for so long that she had almost forgotten the face of this stranger. His hair, the color of beaten gold, his sculptured features, the brightness in his blue eyes, the easy smile that flowed out of his lips…

As she sat on the horse just looking at him, he offered a hand to help her down and that's when she saw it, a tattoo… a lion tattoo.

Feeling her heart stop its beating for what felt like an eternity, Regina's eyes widened as she stared at the ink. She was frozen, she couldn't think, she couldn't move and she definitely felt something close to panic hit her with its full force.

True, this was the reason why Tinker Bell pushed her through the portal, but she didn't really consider the possibility of finding the man with the lion tattoo and let alone that man being Robin.

No… she shook her head, completely unaware that while in her shock, Robin grabbed her by the waist to effortlessly make her climb down the horse. She only came back to her senses when she was on her feet and standing in front of him, his hands still circling her waist and his lips moving as if he was saying something.

"Don't… touch me." She spat in a trembling voice, pushing his hands away and at his look of confusion, she just had to push him out of the way and start running.

She wasn't thinking, she just panicked and fled. Her plan of getting into Rumple's castle and making a portal and getting her magic back fading from her mind.

Now, she was barely aware that her high heeled boots were not helping in her escape and she didn't even nurse the idea that Robin would run after her, so when she felt him grabbing her from behind and throwing her over his shoulders, she gasped in surprise.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Put me down." She hissed, using her fists to hit his back; it didn't even make him flinch so she tried harder to sneak out of his hold. She hit him, she kicked and she even used her nails to dig and scratch whatever flesh she could find.

All her efforts proved to be futile thought so she tried for magic to come back by creating a fireball. It didn't work, but some kind of pressure came out of her palms and the force of it made Robin stumble. He came down, with her, and she tried to use that moment to crawl away from his.

Now, in any other occasion she would have tried to be more graceful and effective, but she wasn't thinking straight. All she wanted to do was to get away from him.

Grunting, Robin saw her move in her hands and knees and reached for her ankle. He was still on the dirt so once he had her in his grip, he pulled her towards him. He had to drag her and at the absurdity of it all he snorted.

"Don't be such a fool, Regina."

At the sound of his voice, Regina felt how he managed to turn her around and she once again tried to use magic. But when he basically climbed on top of her, held her hands above her head and immobilized her legs with his, she just closed her eyes and bared her teeth.

He was too close and she didn't like it. "Don't do this." She said, shaking her head. Her breathing was labored and she was almost panting; but as he hovered over her she refused to open her eyes. "Just let me go and I swear I won't be on your way."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He said, his voice a soft whisper brushing against her face.

She tried to use her hands again to create magic, but he must have seen it or sensed it because he grabbed them, his fingers even intertwining with hers.

The feeling was alien to her and she gulped. No… Tinker Bell was wrong, she didn't need and she didn't want love in her life. And that this man was supposed to be her true love didn't mean that it was going to happen.

She escaped it once so she could do it again.

"Was that magic… what you did?"

"Listen… I um, I know, that it will be in both yours and mine interests if you just let me go and forget all about what happened."

And yes, she could find her way back to her own castle and find a way to make a portal from there. Yes, that's what she needed to do. Away from Robin.

"No I don't think so." He said in his peculiar accent and Regina could imagine the smile on his face. "You are going with me and then I'll figure out what to do."

Shaking her head even harder, Regina's mind went back to Tinker Bell. "I'm going to kill her." And once that was said, she started to laugh without a single trace of amusement.

"No, no, you are not going to kill anyone either." With that said, he got to his feet and grabbed both her arms to make her stand as well.

Regina let him do it, and when he practically dragged her back to the horse and tied her hands to prevent another escape, her determination to kill the fairy only grew stronger.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

If there was something Regina has learnt through all her years, it was that it was harder to drown when you had your chin up. Yes, ever since realizing this, the woman infamously known as the Evil Queen has decided to keep that statement close to her heart and that was why she refused to go through any kind of situation if it wasn't with her head held up high, because she would rather hurt her neck for straining it too high than allowing herself to succumb to the adversity that seemed to always be following her around.

Call it pride or call it self-preservation, Regina didn't even care what it was, the only thing that she knew was that she would rather die a thousand deaths than giving anyone the satisfaction of ever seeing her despair.

That strategy was especially adequate to use when Snow captured her and was about to execute her, but it also worked perfectly fine when she was being tortured by Greg and it worked every single time she has been defeated out of her plans. And yes, why not say it? That way of thinking has been one of the few forces holding her together since the curse broke and the entire town rose against her. She just kept her head way too high.

It was hard, no one would know how hard… but for most of her years, no one nor anything has ever managed to break down the walls she has built around her.

At least not until Robin lifted his hand and she saw the lion tattoo.

She panicked when she was the ink on his skin, and even though unaware of what he was doing, by flashing that tattoo the man basically tore her protective walls down and scattered the pieces far away so that she would be close enough to being unable to build them back up.

It hasn't been one of her best moments and now, several days later, it was only with shame and regret that she recalled how she reacted.

But now that her head was clearer, thinking about what happened in that field would only lead her to come with the same conclusion, that it has been ridiculous and even stupid for her to react like that.

Yes according to Tinker Bell and her stupid pixie dust, Robin was the man she was supposed to fall in love with years ago; but that destiny supposedly wanted that once didn't necessarily mean it had to happen now.

No, more than meeting him because of fate, she has been pushed towards the man by a crazy fairy wanabe and that didn't mean anything. No… falling for him would be too forced… and she would never let it happen.

Thinking like that proved to give her a little peace of mind and while rejoicing on it, she just buried in her mind the fact that even before she knew that he was the man with the lion tattoo, something that has been dormant inside of her began to stir under his presence.

"What you need to do is focus on what's important." She mumbled under her breath as she lay on bed, her feet flat on the hard surface of it and her knees pointing to the ceiling. "And what's important is getting out of here and back to Henry."

As her mind went back to her son, Regina lifted her hand and when it was in her line of vision, she tried to create a fireball. As it has been happening since her captivity, a small flame erupted out of her palm but as soon as it appeared, it hissed and vanished.

She still didn't get what was happening with magic. She never experienced any kind of trouble with it while she lived in The Enchanted Forest so she was unaware of what was going on. True, at least she has been managing to do little things, but what she really needed was for it to come back to her completely.

Swirling her wrist, she created another flame, her eyes watching intently as it slowly diminished into nothing.

"Come on." She hissed, but as she stared at her hand, instead of thinking about magic a memory invaded her mind and she was unable to push it away.

Back on the day where she was trying to get away from Robin, somehow she found herself down on her back and with the man hovering over her. She couldn't remember if it has been after or before she weakly begged him to let her go, but as he held her down he has laced his fingers with hers and that feeling… it took her aback.

Entranced with the memory, she moved her fingers, watching each of her five digits at once. Why has he done that?

Before she could find an answer to that, she heard a noise outside and recognized it as footsteps. They were growing louder somewhere in the corridor until they stopped at her door.

Now, being in solitary for all these days had sharpened her senses and when the door opened, she already knew who it was.

"Your food is here."

At the sound of that voice, Regina pursed her lips and dropped her hand her side. Her face, for all she knew was a mask of pure disdain and as he settled her soup on a small table near the door, she decided not to say anything this time.

It was for the best, sometimes she felt like letting her pent up anxiety get the best of her and she had to fight hard not to ask him to please let her go. Not that she ever did, of course not, most of the time when it was him, she would just be calculatedly cutting with her words to kill his many lame attempts at humoring her and that seemed to work, as he now barely talked to her.

"I see you didn't touch your lunch." He said, stating the obvious as the food that has been brought to her earlier that day sat untouched in the same place it has been left.

Regina said nothing to that, her eyes set on the ceiling.

"Do you remember what I told you about the difference between being proud and being foolish?" His thick accent filled the room, but still Regina remained motionless, biting the inside of her cheek as she felt him moving around the room that now served as a prison for her.

He moved smoothly, placing a few things around and then standing next to where she was lying. His face obstructed her line of vision and for a second the blue of his stare met her brown one, but soon after she just rolled her eyes and then closed them.

It was a challenge, to remain like that with her eyes closed as he looked down on her but she took it. She would rather not see him… just in case.

"Starving yourself to death won't serve you any purpose; you know that." His words of reason were soft, they always were. Not even when she has been at her worse mood has he ever said something to her that she would consider out of place and she hated that.

She didn't want him to be nice. No, not at all.

"Alright, suit yourself then." He said at last and it wasn't until she heard him walking out and then locking the door that she opened her eyes and sat on her bed.

For a few seconds she just remained there, watching the door and the food next to it. She didn't want to eat it and she didn't want to think of the man that just went away, but the truth was that she was starving and well, it was hard not to let the phantom of his presence disturb her.

Besides he was right; not eating wasn't going to lead her anywhere. She knew because that morning she just nibbled at the food, later on she skipped lunch and now that the sun was setting, she had just managed to accumulate a deep hunger that in nothing was affecting her captors.

Shaking her head to clear her mind out of her stubborn nature, Regina got to her feet and tentatively walked to get the tray. Once she got hold of it she went back to bed and ate, taking small bites to preserve her manners until there was nothing left. Then she washed it all down with a flask of watered wine that could only be served by a band of thieves in the Enchanted Forest.

With the food satiating her hunger, Regina walked around the room, pacing from one corner to the other as she tried to think on what to do.

She did that for quite some time, thinking and pacing until she got tired. Then she just walked to the door and attempted to open it as she did every single night. It wouldn't bulge, so closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, she lifted her hand, motioned it as if she was waving and much to her surprise, she heard the lock give up.

Blowing out the breath she just took, Regina opened her eyes and blinked in surprise. Did she just open the door with magic? She has been trying that simple maneuver since she got to the castle and never had it given her any result.

And now, now it worked. Just like that.

Snorting in a mix of disbelief and excitement, she pushed the door and it opened.

Without wasting any time, she walked out to the corridor and looked around. There was no one, and that only meant that she could begin her mission of creating a portal.

But first, she needed to search the castle and find something that could aid her cause. A looking glass, a hat, a bean, a… well she wasn't sure, but she could also look for books that would guide her way.

With that in mind, she headed to the right and began her search room after room. She did that for a while, undisturbed and with no man clouding her mind.

The only guy she was going to think about from now on and into eternity was her soon. No one else.

Determined, her footsteps started to echo loudly through the long deserted castle and it wasn't until she found what appeared to be Rumple's library that she realized that creating a portal wasn't going to be as easy as she first thought.

Swallowing on dry, Regina ran a hand through her dark locks and grimaced. There were hundreds of books there, maybe even thousands and she doubted that she would find the right one right away. It could take her months, maybe even years to check book after book.

Looking around in dismay, she tried to use magic to aid her search, but when that proved to be of no help she just inhaled deeply and went to work. She began by the ones at the bottom, trying to go by the titles to see if they were worth checking out or no.

She grabbed the ones she deemed helpful and placed them over a table, thinking that maybe she should take them back to her room and check them with calm. Yes, because she didn't want her captors to know that she was now freely roaming the castle.

True, with her magic coming back she could stop them from being a problem, especially Mulan, but her magic was also volatile since she crossed worlds and she didn't want to risk it. Besides what if they decided to tie her up and hang her in the back gardens just because they could?

No, that wouldn't help like at all so going back and forth between her room cell and the library, she started to hide books under her bed.

During one of her searches, she saw something that captivated her attention; it wasn't a book but it caught her eye all the same, and because it was in a shelf about eight feet high from the floor, she grabbed a chair, climbed on top of it and reached for it.

It was a goblet and it has been left between two books. The position seemed odd so she took hold of it and neared to her face to inspect it closer. It was a beautifully polished silver piece that sparkled wildly if the moonlight sneaking though the curtains reflected right on it.

She didn't know why, but with her hand around it she decided that she wanted it. It could be helpful…

Musing about it, she lifted it the slightest bit and flickered it around, trying to make it shine once more. She couldn't find the right spot that would do the trick thought.

"And how did mylady walked out of her room?"

Jumping startled, Regina dropped the goblet out of her grip and she almost fell off the chair. She managed to hold to it, but as the silver goblet hit the floor and the sound of it disrupted the sepulchral silence that has been reigning her surroundings, her heart started to hammer inside her chest.

"For the love of God," She said out loud as her hand settled in her chest. Was he trying to kill her?

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked. He was standing not too far from her, his back to a shelf and his arms crossed to his chest. "And most importantly, how did you got out?"

His expression was between amused and thoughtful and as soon as Regina laid eyes on him, she couldn't help but to clench her jaw.

So yeah, just knowing who he was unsettled her, but she wasn't going to let him know so shrugging, she crossed her arms to her chest, mimicking his posture. "You must have left the door unlocked and I don't know, I felt like taking a walk."

"No I didn't." His eyes narrowed and his head tiled up so he could look at her. "Come on, I'll take you back to your room."

"To my cell you mean?" She laughed maliciously. "What kind of world has this become that a simple thief menaces his Queen with captivity?" Arching an eyebrow, she looked coldly at him.

This was the tone and the manner in which she has been addressing the man ever since she saw his tattoo; cold, detached and sometimes even catty.

It was self-preservation, because for some reason the man intimidated her in ways she couldn't comprehend. Maybe it was because of what he represented; a happiness she never achieved or maybe because he reminded her of the woman she could have become… or because his mere existence represented the loneliness that would consume her to her last days. Whatever it was, she didn't like it.

"Your room is not a cell nor was that a menace."

"It isn't? Well you could have fooled me; I mean with me being locked against my will and your girlfriend Mulan coming to me armed at any given hour."

Robin blinked and then frowned. "You make Mulan nervous, I knew that, what I didn't know was that she makes you nervous as well."

Her eyes widened and she climbed out of the chair. In her mind she knew that she should drop things there and go to her room, after all she had enough books over there to start working; but common sense has never been her forte and well, her tempter and frustration about the whole thing got the better of her.

"Mulan doesn't make me nervous, don't be ridiculous. She knows how to swing a word, I'll give her that, but that doesn't mean she will win the battle if she goes against me."

"Hmmm." Robin hummed while shifting his weight to his left foot. "You know," He lowered his head and snorted, but then he went back at looking her dead in the eye. "That stance will get you in a battle sooner rather than later so why don't you lose it and be thankful for once?"

Doing a double take, Regina gasped. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Mulan, Little John and myself are basically keeping you alive in this castle. You are being feed, you are kept warm and dressed while believe it or not we keep a mob from marching inside to kill you right where you stand so why don't you show a little gratitude?"

Shocked by his words and most of all by his tone, Regina went on. "Gratitude? Ha, well yeah, thank you, thank you for tying me up to a tree and leaving this on my skin." She spat, pointing at the fading marks in her throat and then lifting her hands so he could see the ones at her wrist. "Thank you for keeping me a prisoner here, for feeding me awful food and for giving me these rags to dress with. But most of all thank you for keeping me away from my son; so yes, you are right, so thank you very much."

Her words dripped venom and her scorching eyes were wide and wild, she was even itching to lift her hands and hit the man across the face.

She didn't, she just held her gaze and watched as he took a step to her, his face a stoic mask that seemed carved in granite. "You know, it's really a pity that at your age you are already such a bitter, resentful woman. No wonder why there are so many people who would like to see your head were your feet are. You force everybody into disliking you. Why? You can't really be like this."

Before she could help it, her hand shot up and she ended up slapping him across the face. The impact made his face jerk to the side a little but it didn't even make him flinch.

"Don't test me, thief; you don't know me and trust me, you don't want to know me." The words came out in a dark whisper and as she said it, she had to close her hands into fists to refrain from wanting to use magic on him.

Pushing his tongue against his cheek, Robin nodded. He was looking intently at her but his eyes didn't have any malice. "You are right, I don't know you and I don't pretend otherwise; but I think I can see through a façade and that's the only thing I see in you and that's also a pity. Now head back to your room before you leave me no choice than to send you to the kind of prison where magic is of no use."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The tension that has taken residence in his shoulders felt like a heavy burden that he couldn't drop. It was weighing him down, making his steps feel slow and heavy and his walk eternal.

It was rare to see the man in such a mood, and if anyone who knew him happened to run into him they would be left dazed and confused by the sight. His lips were pursed, his jaw was clenched, his brows furrowed and instead of walking, he strode through the long deserted corridors of the castle.

He moved as if by guided by instinct, his feet leading him by their own accord along the way. It was only when he was standing in front of the huge double doors that separated him from where he wanted to be that he opened his mouth to give way to his frustration.

"That woman is impossible!" Robin declared angrily as pushed the doors open to walk into the grand saloon at the west wing of the castle.

Once he was in, he moved close to the fireplace and slumped into the nearest chair, his head resting into the back of the furniture as his fingers closed over the armrests.

"She hit me. Can you believe that?" Yes, even after he has been doing his best to assure that she would be as comfortable as she could, the vile woman just went ahead and slapped him right across the face.

He couldn't remember a woman ever hitting him… at least other than his mother when he was a lousy brat and for some reason that bothered him. No, more than bothering him it irked him to no end; especially because the feeling of her palm connecting to his face had left him wanting to do one of two things.

One of them was grabbing the woman and shaking some sense into her, and the other… well he didn't even want to think of the other, but that last one disconcerted him more than he would like to admit.

"And why did The Queen hit you, may I ask?" The question came from Little John and as the query was left in the air, Robin cleared his throat and fixed his eyes into the fire warming the room.

He was glad that his friend's question forced him out of his thoughts, but at the same time he was well aware that his answer was bound to make him feel something close to regret.

"We had a little exchange of words." He admitted and as soon as the answer left his mouth, his anger diminished a little. Yes, perhaps he said some things he shouldn't have said, but on his behalf, the woman has pushed him too far and well… those were the results.

True, maybe it has been wrong for him to say what he said, but it was just that for days, in his always good nature he had endured too much of her cutting words, her nasty attitude and snobbish ways and that day he just had enough.

"It could have been that I said some things she didn't want to hear but hey, the woman had it coming. Since the day she was brought here I've been going out of my way to keep her safe and comfortable. She has a bed, she has food and shelter and…"

"And you keep her a prisoner."

Blinking a couple of times, Robin moved his face towards his friend. "I keep her alive and not only am I taking a risk by doing so, but I'm also putting my son and the two of you in danger as well. Or is it that you haven't seen the crowd outside claiming for her head?"

Once that was said, silence followed. At least until Mulan decided to break it.

"Be glad that she just left that angry red mark in your face instead of ripping your heart out." The young woman said with a shrug and then she went back to polishing her sword.

Robin laughed, not a tingle of amusement in his outburst. No, why would there be when he was still a bit mad about the whole thing. It confused him, yes, everything the woman did or said always left him confused, but the anger at her latest antic was stronger.

He hadn't felt like that at first. No, when he rescued her and then when he rode with her towards the castle, he has been more intrigued than anything else. There it was the infamous Evil Queen and to him it has been so easy to overlook that; with her scent invading his senses, with the wind blowing her hair against his face and with her body relaxed against his.

But then they dismounted, she tried to run away from him and ever since her whole demeanor changed. Yes, she hasn't been the most amicable since the beginning, but ever since that moment it felt as if she was trying her hardest to push him away.

He didn't get why she built that wall around her but he was sure that there was something more to that woman and it angered him that she was cowering behind it and it angered him even more that despite everything, he wanted nothing more than to tear those walls down to get a real glimpse at her.

Taking in a deep breath and blowing it out of his mouth, Robin lifted a hand and ran it through his hair. He needed to crawl out of his thoughts and focus on the situation at hand.

"There is something else. She… kind of broke out of her room and I found her at the library; she was searching for something."

Mulan's eyes shot up and Little John grunted and shook his head. "I don't think that is a good thing, or is it?"

"Robin." Mulan started to say. "I know you don't want to kill her but we can't just let her roam free and let alone so that she can look into The Dark One's things. That woman is no good and we don't have to take the risk."

"I know… I know." Robin said as he dragged his hand down his face. "But I don't know what to do. I won't have her killed by our hands and I won't hand her over so that the people outside would do it. I can't keep her locked in for long; I can't… send her out and about…"

"What if we send her to Philip and Aurora; let them Royals deal with each other."

"No." Mulan said as soon as Little John suggested that. "Aurora is with child and sending the Queen there will be a huge burden, not to mention dangerous."

"That only leaves two options. Send her packing to her castle where she could soon built back her Queen's guard so that who knows what mayhem she could cause, or pack ourselves and move along so that she can do the same from here."

"Or," Mulan began to say. "I know where Rumplestiltskin's cell is located. Snow and her Prince had him in a cell where his magic didn't work. Perhaps we can take her there?"

Robin shook his head and pressed a thumb to his lips. "I already thought about that and to do it we would need guards to keep a watch on her. We would also need to maintain her fed and well kept, it's just not a thing of locking her there and leave her to starve."

"Then what do you want to do?" Little John asked.

Considering it for a second, Robin shrugged. "She wants to get out of the Enchanted Forest so that she could find her son. Perhaps we can help her? Apparently, he is also in Neverland."

"The Queen has a son?"

"You don't mean to use Roland again to help her?"

"No," He said quickly. Using Roland was something he would never do again, no matter what. "I think… and I know I will regret this, but I think we can help her find another way. Now listen, I am pretty sure that the Queen lost the ability to use magic here but she is slowly getting it back. That's how she broke out."

And that was without saying that day at the field; he has seen it himself. It wasn't the magic he has been expecting from one of the most power witches ever to exist in the Enchanted Forest, but it has been magic.

"Are you aware that as soon as she gets her magic back we will be basically at her mercy?" Mulan asked and Robin nodded.

"Yes, and that's why I think you shouldn't be anywhere near when that happens because that desire that you have of killing her? Well it is mutual."

He hadn't thought the whole logistic about it all, but as he saw it, the best that could happen for everyone around was for her to leave for good. Sure, there was a part of him that for reasons he couldn't comprehend didn't want her gone. But he had Roland to think about… and his son was his priority.

"Tomorrow I'll go to her and figure this whole thing out, right now I just… I need to clear my head so I'll just go and check Roland and get some sleep myself."

With that said, he got to his feet and went to do as he said. It wasn't until the following morning after he broke his fast that he went to see the Queen. By then anger was just a fading feeling in his gut as he was more calmed down.

He went in with some food for her; bread, cheese and fresh orange juice. Maybe it was what she catalogued awful food, but he was trying to provide the best they had and that wasn't much. He also brought her something else, something she would probably find more satisfactory.

As he entered the room, he said nothing. He just put everything on the table and closed the door behind his back.

Regina was sitting over the bed, her back to the wall and her arms crossed to her chest. She was looking at him with an eyebrow arched and after finding her eyes with his, he determined that she has been up to something.

What it was, he didn't know, but by the smug tilt of her chin and the shine in her eyes, he didn't think that it was anything good.

Now usually, Robin always entered the room with some kind of greeting flowing out of his lips, but this time he just rested his back to the door and reciprocated the stare off.

"Surprised that I'm still here?" She asked with a smile that seemed as fake as her good intentions.

"What do you need to get out of The Enchanted Forest?"

Obviously taken aback, the brunette blinked her eyes a couple of times and her fake smile gracing her lips turned into a pout. She didn't respond though, and Robin was sure that she was trying to process the question.

Maybe she thought he was trying to trick her into something… yes she probably did as her posture screamed of distrust.

"You want out of here, right? Then tell me what do you need so that I can help you out."

Her eyes narrowed. "Help me? You want to help me get out of here?" She snorted, her hand lifting to her face so that she could run a finger over her eyebrow. "Why?"

Robin moved his eyes to the window for a second. He considered about what should his words be, but then decided to tell them harsh. Why soft them? Two could play the cutting words game.

"I don't see any other option. You don't want to be here, no one wants you here so what else is there to do? Is either that or let them execute you."

Instead of the outburst he has been expecting, what Regina did was blink several times, lower face and quirk her lips. As she did that, her hair framed her face and he couldn't help but to see a glimpse of the real person inside the hard exterior. A lonely, broken woman. But then her walls her back up and she lifted her head back to him.

"I don't need your help, not in getting out of here and let alone in keeping those peasants from trying to kill me."

"Perhaps you don't need the help, but the fastest you are out of here the better so I guess I will do my part to make it happen sooner rather than later." Clearing his throat, he pointed at the sphere he has brought along. It was the same Neal used to locate his lady. "I even brought you this."

Regina's dark eyes moved to the sphere and getting out of bed, she looked at him in distrust. She walked closer to him though, her movements smooth and graceful. "Where did you get this?" She asked with caution.

"The Dark One left a lot of things behind and this one happened to be one of them." He said, omitting the fact that Neal has been the one to find it.

The Queen bit the inside of her cheek, he has seen her do that a lot of times and assumed that she was still trying to decide if he was really trying to help. But then, she moved her eyes away from him and focused in the magic crystal ball.

"That can help you locate your son and you can decide on what to do next."

Regina sat in one of the chairs at the table, it was as if she forgot all about him and now she was touching the crystal ball. Robin watched her do it, his attention on the way her face transformed in concentration.

Her mouth was slightly parted and he could see her tongue pressing to the inside of her bottom lip, then it was her eyes, sparkling and looking into the sphere, they seemed a shade lighter of what he has seen before.

It was hard not to look at her, or to take notice of the way her eyelashes casted a shadow over her porcelain cheeks as she looked down, on the way her rosy colored lips seemed full when she wasn't snarling them or flashing that sly smirk that seemed permeated on her face…

Shaking his head out of that line of thinking, Robin forced his eyes to look at the image coming out of the crystal ball. What he saw was a young lad, way older than Roland but smiling in almost the same manner. He was walking along some kind of road and he was with a blonde woman, her arm over his shoulder as she talked to him.

"He's in Storybrooke." Regina said almost absentmindedly. "Henry is in Storybrooke."

Frowning at the name she just said, Robin sat in the chair across from hers. "Your son is Henry? Like Neal's Henry?" He asked in confusion as his mind went back to The Dark One's son.

"Did you know him, Neal?" She asked, but she did it without tearing her eyes from her son's image.

Yes… he knew Neal… and he knew that the man had a son in Neverland called Henry and that he has wanted to go there to save him and his mother… who also happened to be the love of his life. What he didn't know was that Regina was that woman.

He couldn't remember Neal mentioning that specific name, but what could he say? He hadn't been interested in memorizing the details of the man's problems; he has been distraught enough by the thought of using Roland to help him.

"I know him." He said at last, thinking of their son; what did carrying the blood of the Dark One and the Evil Queen meant of this boy?

But as if thinking about that wasn't enough, for some reason, the realization that Regina was the lady Neal was in love with left him feeling a bit disappointed, and for reasons that felt quite wrong. "So you have a child with the Dark One's son?"

Regina looked at him and opened her mouth, but then her face turned into a grimace and she shook her head. "Gods no… that's… no."

Robin furrowed his brows, his eyes locking with hers. "No?" As he said that, he found himself entranced with her eyes. She always did that to him, how or why he didn't know, but deep inside he was sure that this was another reason for him to help her out of the Enchanted Forest.

The woman was just impairing his judgment and taking in consideration who she was and what she was capable of doing, he couldn't allow that to keep happening.

"Henry is not my biological son." She said, her tone low but firm. "I adopted him when he was a baby and I took care of him as if he was my own." As she said that, her eyes went back to carrying that dark glint and her lips pursed. She looked away from him though, focusing instead on the crystal ball. "Emma gave birth to him and Neal was the father, but they didn't even care about him or his whereabouts until recently and now… now they want to take him from me."

Robin scanned her over, sensing that in some way she was letting him into the dark labyrinth that was her mind. He didn't quite get it, but by that little information she gave him he could say there was indeed more to her than what she wanted to let it be seen.

It also made him remember what she told him that first night, the little glimpse she revealed about her relationship with the King and about her never having what she really wanted.

It corroborated his suspicious about her being lonely and broken and at the realization; he reached for her hand and grabbed it with his own. It was a simple touch, light and soft.

He didn't know why he did it… he just did it.

As he touched her, her eyes moved to his hand and he felt her entire being tense. She didn't take her hand away though so he took it a bit further and ran his thumb in circles against her skin. "If you took him as your own and loved him as such, then he is your son."

True, he didn't know the whole story but it felt like the right thing to say.

Blinking, Regina fixed her shinning eyes on him and he noticed the intensity of them. Holding the connection, he couldn't help but to feel as if he was staring straight into her soul and feeling a bit overwhelmed, he cleared his throat; moment that she took to slip her hand away and look away.

"I need to make a portal." Her voice came out raspy and far off. "Gold must have kept something in this castle that can be useful so just let me look for it and I'll be out of your way in no time."

Leaning back against his chair, Robin clicked his tongue to his cheek. "You do that, but please let's keep this peaceful while you do it, I think we can all skip the bad vibes and all that."

With that said, he got to his feet and walked out of the room, leaving the door open and hoping that for all it was sacred for him, that Regina wouldn't turn to her evil ways and create the mayhem everybody was expecting out of her.

He also hoped that she could create this portal of hers as fast as she could, because the more he could feel her presence, the less like himself he would feel…


	5. Chapter 5

Regina woke up to the distinct feeling that she was lost. It was an unpleasant sensation, one that was very similar to the way she would wake up from a nightmare when she was a little girl. Heart beating hard and unsteady against her chest, sleepy brown eyes opening abruptly only to find darkness surrounding her and her body acting on an impulse by sitting upright over the bed.

It was also the way she would wake up to a dream she couldn't quite remember and well, as of late she has been having a lot of those so she supposed that was just what happened.

' _Another night, another bad dream to haunt her sleep.'_

Setting her jaw firmly and feeling a bit disoriented, the raven haired woman ran a hand through her hair. Her heart was still beating erratically and as she waited for it to get back to normal, her eyes ventured to take a look around as if to corroborate that she still was where she thought she was.

"Of course I'm still here… where else?" She said bitterly as her hand dropped limply to her side.

So yes, The Queen was still at the Dark One's castle, and even thought her status as a prisoner could be disputed since she has been given free access to move as she pleased, she still felt like one. After all she was in a place where she didn't want to be and she didn't know how to get out.

No… even though she has searched room by room and browsed through hundreds of books, she was still nowhere near creating a portal and as things were going, she didn't think she would do it anytime soon.

It was just… harder than what she though… way harder.

Moving her head to the side so that she could peer outside her window and wanting to keep her mind from wandering into that dark alley where her frustration and impotence to do what she wanted to do resided, Regina tried to remember her dream.

Has it been a Henry dream? It could be, there was nothing like dreaming about her soon to make her chest constrict hard against her heart… and nothing like a bad Henry dream to rattle the foundations of everything she wanted to accomplish.

Closing her eyes tight, she shook her head and decided against trying to remember the dream as well. What use could she find in that? Thinking about him at all only served to remind her that he was at Storybrooke without her and according to the image he saw of him, happy.

Thinking about that image was like rubbing salt into an open wound so she also decided not to think about Henry… or about anything at all, she just wanted to keep her mind in blank even if it was for a couple of hours.

Hoping for that to happen, Regina pushed the blankets off her body and got to her feet. Once she was up, she reached for a long sleeve black sweater she magically made appear a few nights ago, put it on and walked out of the room she has taken as her own.

Out in the corridor, she choose left and started walking aimlessly, her feet carrying her randomly until she found herself at Rumple's library.

Without thinking it much, she walked in, sat behind a huge desk placed in a corner and after resting her elbows over the oak surface, she just cradled her head into her hands and closed her eyes as tight as she could.

She remained like that for several minutes, keeping her mind off any thought and just letting the silence of an early dawn to seduce her into putting her head down and just sleep there. Not that she did it, of course, she just took into her lungs a deep long breath and then ever so slowly, she let it escape through her lips in a controlled puff.

She was tired, she started to realize. Tired of everything. Ever since she was sent back into the Enchanted Forest her life had taken a turn into a bad, bad place and being stuck there was doing nothing to improve her always rotten mood.

She wanted out… she wanted a rest… a moment where she didn't have to swim against the current and she wanted it now.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Despite the voice catching her off guard, Regina managed to stay still and when the irony of the moment hit her, she snorted and shook her head.

Could life really be so cruel to her? No she didn't really need an answer to that. Her life only consisted on trial after trial and to be completely honest, she couldn't say that she didn't deserve such a treatment.

"Are you following me around now?" She asked, but instead of the always cutting tone she has adopted for the man, her voice just came out as tired and flat.

"Actually, I should be the one asking you that, you know, since I was here first."

Lifting her head and following the sound of his voice, she saw that Robin was comfortably sitting in a sofa and much to her surprise, there was a little boy resting over his chest; a little boy that was curiously peeking at her.

The scene made her blink a couple of times and as if remembering herself, she shook her head. "I… I'll just go."

"No you can stay, I'll just take my boy to bed and be out of your way so you can do your thing… whatever that is."

Regina said nothing to that; she just stared at the duo, her mind running a thousand miles per second. Did Robin have a son? How come she didn't know that? Now sure, she couldn't say that she talked much to the man but for the last couple of weeks he has been going to her, day by day to check on her progress and make attempts to small talk and not even once had she heard him mention having a boy living in the castle.

Not that he had any reason to mention that fact to a woman that has been trying everything in her power to keep him at a distance… but still…

"Are you really the Evil Queen?"

"Roland." Robin said in a warning tone as he got to his feet to take the boy away.

Arching an eyebrow and tilting her head to the side, Regina laced her fingers together and smiled to the little boy. In a way he reminded her of Henry when he was younger and the notion made her relax a little.

"What do you think? Do I look like an evil queen?" Her tone came soft, even amicably and she went as far as to complement it with a wink.

"You don't look evil… or ugly and old."

Her lips curved into a full smile as she leaned forward. True, she should scowl at the fact that little kids just assumed that because she was The Evil Queen she had to be old and monstrous looking; but there was something about the innocence of the statement that made her smile. "You know, I'm going to take that as a compliment so thank you."

Sneaking out of his father's hold, the boy walked to her. There was nothing but curiosity in his eyes and once he was near enough he whispered.

"I'm Roland."

"Hi, I'm Regina. So how old are you, Roland?"

The boy lifted a hand and showed her for little fingers, and as he did that, he kept his eyes trained on her. "You don't have a big nose. Or moles and wrinkles. My dad was right."

At the mention of his dad, Regina looked up and saw that Robin was standing with his arms crossed to his chest and looking at them with the same curiosity of his son.

"Right about what?"

The boy giggled, looked at his dad and then he leaned forward to talk in her ear. "That you were pretty." With that said, he turned around and ran out of the room.

Biting on her lips and pushing her back against the chair, Regina watched as the boy fled.

"For three weeks I've been trying to get you to warm up to me and he does it in one minute. Amazing."

At the sound of Robin's voice, Regina lifted her face and stared into his eyes. That right there was something she has been trying to evade, looking directly into those blues and yet there she was. Oh but she was going to justify it to the fact that Roland had lowered her defenses and well, that she was tired.

"He's more charming." She said flatly. And he didn't disconcert her. Yes, because if there was something Robin has achieved was that, disconcerting her.

Lowering her eyes, her mind traveled back to the day he gave her the crystal ball. The memory was one she didn't like to recall but somehow she always did. The pain of seeing Henry smiling with Emma and apparently not in the least affected over the fact that she was lost, the way he touched her hand and she just let him do it…

She has gone over that moment over and over again and her only conclusion was that in a moment where she has been feeling vulnerable, she just took the contact of his hand in hers as comforting.

But if only things had stopped there… but no, after that day, Robin hasn't failed in visiting her a single day and for every one of those visits, he would always try to talk to her. He would always come and ask about her progress, sometimes he even brought her something he thought might help her and sometimes he even touched her.

It wasn't like his hands were always all over her, but because she wasn't a touchy friendly person, she noticed even the lightest of touches.

A furtive touch on her back if they were walking and he wanted to guide her into a room with a giant looking glass that could help her into creating a portal, a light brush of his fingers against hers when he handed her something…

So he did that, and even though her attitude towards him varied from curtly to nonchalant, she hadn't yet protested against his touches or even to his visits.

"You should do that more often, you know, smiling. It really suits you."

Her eyes narrowed at his words and if there has been any trace of a smile in her lips, it vanished.

Robin laughed at that and apparently feeling as if he had any right to, he walked towards her and sat in a chair opposite to hers.

"Any luck in creating your portal?"

Puffing out a breath and remembering all about her futile attempts to go back to Henry, Regina closed her eyes and lifted her hands to massage her temples. "Nothing…" She meant to leave it there, but something made her keep talking. "I don't think I'll be able to this at all."

"What do you mean? I mean aren't you the one who created a curse that wiped half the Enchanted Forest to another land?"

Without opening her eyes, Regina shook her head. "I casted it but I didn't create it."

For a few seconds Robin considered what Regina just said, but he said nothing. He just watched as her features started to relax for the first time since she knew her.

She looked tranquil like that and he would hate to disrupt that. But maybe… just maybe he should say it… he should tell her that she needed to hurry in creating the portal that would make her leave because he was having a hard time trying to appease the increasing tension outside the castle.

Everything was just getting out of control, half his Merry Men and everyone who was left in The Enchanted Forest were gathering outside in the field demanding him to turn Regina over and he didn't think he could hold them at bay much longer.

Things had gone to a place where he even had to move Roland into the castle against what he wanted at first and for the last two days he had just remained locked in there too, with only Mulan and Little John still coming in and out at will.

He didn't think things would hold for much longer… so yeah, he should tell her.

"Regina." He said but the woman didn't say anything. She just remained in place, her eyes closed to the world and her breathing soft and even.

It took him a moment to realize that she was sleeping.

Despite himself, he snorted and ran a hand through his hair, thinking that Roland was right; Regina looked nothing like an evil queen. Ever since he got her out of the water he has been unable to take the image of her wet, scared and trembling out of his mind and to him that was something one couldn't associate with such an evil creature.

And now that he was watching her sleep, the notion that she was indeed the Evil Queen seemed ridiculous.

Taking in a deep breath, he moved closer and ever so slightly, he took her in his arms and carried her to the sofa he has been sharing with Roland earlier on.

As he did that, he noticed that she weighed next to nothing… and as she mumbled something that sounded like a protest, she snuggled to his chest and said no more.

Shaking his head at the absurdity of everything, he took the liberty of smelling her hair to breathe into the soft aroma of warm apples that clung to her. Then he snorted and cleared his throat. "You will be the end of me. I just know it." He said as he put her down on the sofa.

He left without looking back at her, knowing that if the people outside the castle decided to burst in, Regina was going to use the magic he knew she already got back to save herself. What he wondered was if that was would be a good thing or a bad one.

-

XxXxXxXxX

_There was something in the room with her. She could hear its slow breathing disrupting the sepulchral silence that has been taking over her surroundings and as her ears detected the sound, she tried to see what it was._

_Her head moved from side to side but she didn't see anything; the room was engulfed in pitch black darkness and other than a black veil blocking her view, she could see nothing._

" _Who is there?" Her voice came out as firm and steady, but as she waited for a response that never came she could feel a dull sense of apprehension starting to settle at the pit of her stomach._

_Clenching her jaw, she kept peering into the darkness, her eyes slowly adjusting until she thought she could see a shadow, the faintest outline of a shape. It was standing immobile by the door, tall as the ceiling itself and carrying with it the promise of death._

" _I asked who goes there, answer me." Baring her teeth, Regina pulled the blanket closer to her body as now an irrational feeling of fear started to fill her heart, because whoever or whatever was in the room started to move towards her, sliding through the darkness in silence._

_The thing's slow breathing was by now a ragged ominous sound lurking somewhere near, and there was this awful smell that clung to it, a putrid offensive smell that invaded all her senses and made her want to gag._

" _Show yourself and say your business with me." She ended up saying in false bravado while trying to hide the desperation in her voice. Now true, it was not in her nature to panic, but somehow, someway, she was starting to feel a deep sense of dismay invading all her senses._

" _What do you think you are doing here, like this?" A voice, barely human but eerily resembling that of her mother's asked at last as it moved over to the bed. "You are the most powerful person in this world and you are here, playing captive?"_

_Regina blinked rapidly and opened her mouth to reply, only that no sound ever came pass her lips._

" _Outside of these walls a mob is planning to kill you, to humiliate you and perhaps to desecrate your body and you are doing nothing but laying here. You are letting yourself become weak, just like your father."_

_Shaking her head in denial, she swallowed hard. "You are not my mother." No, because her mother was dead. Of that she was sure._

" _If am or am I not her is not important, what matter is that you are not doing what you need to do."_

_Biting her tongue and then clenching her hands into fists, Regina moved her head to the side in a failed attempt to escape the foul odor. Was it really her mother? It sounded like her… even her presence felt like Cora's._

_Thinking about her mother and the way she always made her feel, Regina gave way to her most inner frustrations. "I am trying; I… I just can't seem to find a way. Creating a portal is harder than what I first thought… I don't know if I can do it."_

" _You'll never be able jump worlds with that attitude and let alone with that bland, insipid thief getting in your head." The shadow laughed cruelly, the sound of it sending a chill down her spine. "What, do you think I don't know you, that I don't see the look in your eyes when he comes to you every single day? Regina… you were never good at finding suitable men, first the stable boy and now a thief?"_

_Yes, who else could it be but her mother?_

_Closing her eyes to prevent them from watering, Regina clenched her teeth and thought about Daniel. "Don't you even dare speak of him, not after what you did."_

" _What I did, I did it so that you could become Queen. I did what was best for you."_

" _What was best for me?" Snorting, Regina's eyes opened wide. "Was it really best to force me into marrying a man that I came to despise? A man that only managed to break me night by night until I just turned into this-"_

_With that said, the dark-haired woman pointed at herself and snarled her lips._

" _It was because you married The King that you became the single most powerful person to walk The enchanted Forest… second only to the Dark One himself. So yeah, you married a man you didn't love, but so did I and you don't hear me complaining about it."_

_To that Regina said nothing; she just stared angrily at whatever remained of her mother. It was obvious that Cora didn't care or wasn't even aware of the hell she lived as The King's Queen and she didn't want to waste time or effort into letting her know._

_No, there were some skeletons better left off buried and her marriage with the King was one of those._

" _You still have it in you; you are still powerful. So what are you going to do about all of this, Regina? Are you going to sit here and wait for things to happen or are you going to make them happen."_

_Regina shook her head no, but even though she didn't want to listen to Cora, her voice betrayed her and she ended up voicing her doubts. "What should I do?"_

_The shadow slid nearer, enough so that Regina could see that it wasn't a shadow at all but her mother in flesh and blood. Her face was rotting and in decay and instead of eyes two empty sockets stared at her, but it was the image of her nonetheless._

" _Why, that's easy. Kill them-" With that said, Cora lifted a cold hand and wrapped her snake-like fingers around Regina's throat. "Wake up and show them who you are. Wake up, and kill them all."_

_XxXxXxXxX_

Regina woke up with a start, a thin line of sweat running slowly down her spine and a yelp stuck at the back of her throat trying to force its way out. She was trembling, she was dimly aware of that, and as her eyes scanned her surroundings as if to make sure where she was, she remembered what was making her feel so unsettled.

She has been dreaming again, she was now aware that the words and the images dancing inside her head were just a dream and not reality… just another one of the dreams that would haunt her sleep and leave her shaky and confused for at least a couple of hours.

"It wasn't real." Unsure of whom she was trying to convince, Regina took in a deep breath, threw her head back and let it fall back against the soft cushion of the sofa. "Just a bad dream, another one."

Swallowing hard and waiting for her heartbeat to calm down to its normal rate, Regina ran a trembling hand along her neck, unconsciously feeling with her fingertips for anything unusual.

There was nothing, and as her eyes fluttered open once more so that she that she could take a good look at her surroundings, she realized that she was at the library; laying on a sofa as a few rays of lights sneaked through the large windows.

For a whole minute, she tried to figure out how she got there, and when things started to become a little more clearer, she got to her feet and tried to fix herself as best as she could.

' _Kill them, kill them all.'_

Shaking her head and running the palm of her hand above her face, the brown eyed woman breathed in and then she blew the breath out.

"Something is not quite right here." She said to no one in particular as she hurried to her feet and made it back to her room. As she walked to her destination, her mind began to swirl and swirl around the dream she just had.

It was the first time while back in the Enchanted Forest that she dreamt of her mother, and as was to be expected, the nightmare left her more than a little disconcerted.

It wasn't necessarily because of what she told her, but because now that she was awake there was this feeling of something imminent happening soon that she would have no control of. What it was, she didn't know, all she knew was that it wasn't going to be good.

Once in her room, she washed her face and mouth and made herself presentable, and then she left the premises and started wandering around.

"Robin…" She thought, feeling as if she needed to find the man and the sooner, the better.

With that in mind she started looking, and it wasn't until she spotted the man's son playing by his own under a massive table in the middle of the dining hall that she stopped her search and halted on her tracks, watching him.

The boy, oblivious to her presence was drawing the floor with some kind of colorful chalk. He almost had the entire floor underneath the table covered in different colorful patterns and tilting her head to the side, Regina narrowed her eyes.

"Roland?" She asked softly, her voice making the boy look up with a big smile on his face. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm making a village."

Her eyebrow shot up in her forehead and she walked nearer; once besides the table she crouched down and looked closer. "A village, how's that?"

"To live in with my Papa when the ogres leave." Roland said with a shrug as he went back to drawing.

At his words, Regina lifted a hand and brushed her hair behind her ear. She looked intently, it was as if she was entranced with what the boy was doing and she knew, she was sure that there was something in the scene that was scratching at her brain, digging deep so she could take something out of it.

With her brain going in overdrive, her eyes moved to the chalk; there were around a dozen sticks of them spilling out of a leather pouch and she reached forward to take one. She swirled it in her fingers and without thinking it twice, she put it in the pocket of her sweater.

Later on she would figure out what to do out of the chalk, but for now she just curved her lips into a smile and with a flick of her wrist she magically created a small car, the kind that Henry used to collect a few years back. "Look what I found at the library." She said and when the boy looked at the red car in her hand, he gaped.

"What is that?" He asked in awe, dropping the chalk so that he could inspect it closer.

"It's a car." Putting it on the floor, she made it roll towards him. Roland watched in delight, his little fingers itching to grab it. "You can take it."

He did, and mimicking what she did earlier, he started to roll it over the floor. Giggling, he looked up at her and then he went on to play a different kind of game.

Regina watched him crawl underneath the table as he moved the car around and for a moment, she forgot all about the feeling that has been bothering not long ago. She just watched, thinking nostalgically about her own son and how he would play like this when he was a boy of four.

"Papa, look what Regina found."

Lost in her thoughts, Regina hadn't been aware of Robin walking into the dining hall and when she heard Roland calling him, she got to her feet and turned around to face the man.

"She did? Let me see." Roland showed his father and after a giggle, he went back to playing. "What is that and how did you got it?"

Crossing her arms to her chest, Regina breathed in. "It's a toy… it's harmless."

She watched as his clear blue eyes narrowed as he looked at her, but then he shrugged and placed his bow over the table. "I got you something."

Arching an eyebrow, Regina pushed her tongue hard against her teeth and as a reply, she said nothing. She just watched as Robin pulled a chair and gestured her to sit on it.

"Sit, there's something I want to talk with you."

For a second she hesitated, but then she just walked closer and sat. Yes, talking could prove to be good, because even though she wasn't sure what it was, she was almost sure that she ought to talk to him about the feeling she was having of something happening.

Taking the chair opposite to her, Robin reached into the small bag he has been carrying and took out a few apples. They were red as blood and fragrant as sin and as soon as she saw them, he was sure that he was mocking her.

"What is this?" Her tone, cold and cutting made him chuckle.

"They are just apples, My Queen." Shrugging, he took one and bit into it. Once he swallowed it down he kept talking. "I saw them and thought of you."

Tilting her head up, she eyed him intently. There was no way he could know of how people all over the world associated her with apples and let alone why, so snorting at the fact that he thought of her when he saw the forbidden fruit, she ran her hand over her temples and shook her head.

"Alright, I get it. You don't like apples. Me neither so we'll just throw them then." His tone, more cheerful than what it had any right to be made her look up and before she could help it, she smiled.

It lasted a fraction of a second, but judging by the smile on his face, she was sure that he saw it. Clearing her throat, she grabbed for an apple and sniffed at it. "Are you always so annoyingly cheerful?"

"Most of the time; are you always so frustratingly taut?" His smile grew bigger and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not taut."

"Well you are no bundle of joy." Robin said, his eyes sparkling in amusement as he looked at her.

Shrugging, she looked down to Roland. He was still playing, mumbling under his breath as he crawled all over the room. "What did you want to talk about?"

Putting his apple down, Robin's smile vanished and if she wasn't mistaken, his jaw tensed a little. "Roland, go find Little John and keep an eye on him, we don't want him to get in any trouble."

"Yes Papa." Roland said and in a matter of nothing, he was out of the dining hall.

"I want to talk about the people outside."

"The ones claiming for my head?" She asked with an air of indifference; but as the subject was approached, she couldn't help but to remember her mother's words in her dream. "What about them?"

Robin took in a deep breath, and without taking his eyes off of hers he went on. "Ever since you got here, there have been people of all over gathering outside. There's quite a multitude out there now and they claim to feel threatened by your sole presence and they want to do something about it."

"A bunch of men threatened by a defenseless woman?" She leaned forward and shrugged. "Let them come then."

Robin sucked his lips into his mouth and then he went on. "That's what I am trying to prevent, for them to come here because trust me, there is not an ounce of good intentions in most of these men. You intimidate them, they are scared of you and an intimidated scared man is the most dangerous."

"Is that so? Well that's how I like them the most, because they break easier while scared." With that said, she lifted her hand palm up and as she has been practicing since her magic started to come back to her, she created a fireball.

Robin's eyes shifted to the ball of flame until she made it vanish, then he went back to look at her. The expression on his face was unreadable and just for the heck of it, she smirked.

"Have you seen how many men are out there?"

Pursing her lips, she held his gaze. "If you are so worried then take your boy and leave; but I won't run out of here just because those brutes out there want me dead. The only way I'll leave will be when I find a way to go back to my son."

"You are an impossibly proud woman and that makes you incessantly foolish, don't you see that if you stay here and they kill you, you will leave your son motherless. Is that what you want?"

Clenching her jaw hard, she sent him a harsh gaze. "And if I leave this place I will leave him motherless nonetheless as I will have no other way of going back to him. Do you think I want to stay here because of the atrocious accommodations or that I want to deal with those men outside? Because I don't, I don't want to go back to being the Evil Queen and kill everyone, but if that's what it takes, I'll do it and I'll do it without hesitating."

Robin got up from his chair and as Regina watched him, she was sure that he was going to storm out and leave forever, but instead of that he circled the table and walked to her chair, lowering down to her level once he was in front of her.

Once there, his hands were placed against the armrest of her chair and feeling trapped, she pushed herself as back as she could.

"You don't have to do that. I will leave tonight, with Little John, Mulan and Roland. We can help you find another way…"

"Why would you help me?" She asked bitterly, leaning a bit into him so that he could feel the full intensity of her eyes on him. "And better yet, why would I trust your girlfriend Mulan to help along instead of putting her sword in my back when I least expect it."

Robin's eyes moved along her face and then he shrugged. "Mulan is the least of your concerns, as for me… I just want to help. Maybe I'm just as foolish as you are, but if you say that you don't want to turn back into the Evil Queen, then I want to help you not becoming that again."

Regina's eyes dug deep into his blue stare and once again, she thought back on her mother. "I can't…"

Moving his hands towards hers, he grabbed them, and much like it happened whenever he touched her, she did nothing but stare at his hands and of course, at the tattoo on his skin. "Let me help you."

Shaking her head and looking up to the ceiling, Regina said nothing. She just couldn't, she didn't want him to help her, no… what she wanted him was to leave her alone.

"Regina…" Robin was about to start talking again, but before he could go on they heard someone clearing his throat and when they turned to look, it was Little John.

"Robin, we have to talk. Now."

Blowing out a breath, Robin turned back to Regina and as a last effort, he squeezed her hands. "Just think about it." And with that he got to his feet and was gone.

For what felt like an eternity after he left, Regina just remained sitting by the table, and as she dwelled there, she thought about what Robin said.

Maybe he was right and in her stubbornness, she was just in denial. Killing everyone out could turn out to be easy, but if she was ambushed, staying could mean her death.

Closing her eyes she tried to organize her thoughts. In Rumple's castle, she hadn't found what she was looking for so who was to say that she would ever find it. But outside the castle there were many places she could visit. Her own castle, Maleficent's and countless of small witches lairs all over the Enchanted Forest.

She just needed to look in the right place… and she didn't even need Robin and company to do it. With a horse she could go on her own and then… and then…

Opening her eyes, she felt for her pocket and touched the chalk.

Then she would find a way back to Henry's.

Decided, she was about to stand up from her chair, but before she could even attempt it, she felt something around her throat and all of a sudden she was being pulled back against the chair.

Caught by surprise and already feeling her passage of air getting affected, her hands reached up to her neck, trying to claw whatever it was that was holding her.

It was impossible, because whatever it was, it was too thin for her to grab. All she managed to do was scratch her neck hard enough to draw blood.

"Well look what we have here, out precious Queen and all powerless."

Alarmed at the strange voice and the situation at hand, Regina lifted her hand to fight her attacker with magic, but a second before she could even attempt it, someone smacked her hard in the face and a blinding pain that ran all over to her brain took over and prevented her from doing anything.

"Hold her still." Another voice said and lifting her eyes so that she could see who was speaking, she saw a tall man smirking down at her while unlacing his breeches. "I always wanted to do a Queen."

No, she wanted to say, but the moment she saw the man's intention she froze. It was as if she was young and defenseless all over again and instead of using magic as she knew she could, she just sat there, gasping for air and a deep forgotten terror starting to consume her inside out.

Already dizzy with the lack of air, she saw as the man approached. His breeches were undone and he was obscenely showing himself to her. That right there made her react and she lifted her feet to kick him.

It connected against the man's knee and he growled in pain.

"Hold still, witch." The man behind her said, pulling the string against her neck harder.

The stinging pain made her hiss, as she could feel her skin getting cut.

"I'll take care of her." The man in front of her said as he grabbed her legs and pulled her to him. The string was suddenly off her neck, but she was now falling with a thud against the floor and the man was still holding her legs, dragging her and at the same time trying to take off her pants.

"No." She managed to cry and as if in cue, a new set of footsteps were heard approaching fast.

The man holding her legs eased on his grip and Regina took the opportunity to swirl around; and that's when she saw her, Mulan standing by the door watching the scene.

'She let them in' She thought, and when she saw the woman draw her sword she knew that she was done for. Mulan has always wanted to kill her and this was her chance; unknowingly, she got her as defenseless as she would ever go and that was a chance no one would ever let pass. She just hoped she would be killed before the men would get their chance with her.

But as all those thoughts ran through her head, Mulan made a grimace and slashed the man that had tried to strangle her open. Regina watched as in a trance, laying flat on her stomach and when the other man ran towards Mulan and tackled her to the ground, she watched too, taking special notice on the way the woman's sword went flying away from her grip.

"Looks like I'm going to get two cunts today!" Yelling, the man grabbed Mulan by the hair and made as if to take her pants too.

Mulan fought hard, but she wasn't as big and strong as the man and after a small struggle, he managed to turn her on her back.

Swallowing down and getting to her knees, Regina lifted her hand and with just a twist of her wrist, she magically snapped the man's neck. Once that was done, she saw as he fell in a heap to the floor. "No you won't."

Breathing hard, Mulan stared at her with wide eyes. Regina just sat on the floor and when she thought the whole thing was too much for her to bear, she lay down over the cold marble and closed her eyes.

She wanted to cry, not necessarily for what just happened but for the memories it brought to her; but because she would never show that kind of weakness in front of Mulan or anyone for that matter, she just tried to even her breathing while the beating of her heart thundered in her ear.

She wasn't sure for how long she lay there; all she knew was that at some point she heard Mulan getting up and hurrying away. Before going she said something to her but Regina couldn't decipher what it was; something about getting Robin and something about blood. Then when she was gone, her mother's voice started to echo in her mind.

' _Are you just going to lay there?'_

Biting hard on her lips, she shook her head. It was painful to do so, but she just clenched her teeth and shook her head harder.

"Regina, Gods…"

With her eyes still closed, she heard Robin say and she wanted to kill Mulan for bringing him there.

"Leave me alone." Yes, she wanted to be by herself. That was how she coped, alone and without witnesses.

But not minding what she just said, he grabbed her arms and made her sit down. Then he grabbed her face and brushed her hair off her face.

Sucking in a breath, she opened her eyes and found him scanning her face. His eyes were full of concern and repressed rage and for some reason that made her want to cry even more. "I killed him."

She managed to talk without her voice trembling and even better, without wasting a tear.

"It's okay." He said, his hands gentle but firm on her face and on her neck. "It's okay."

She nodded, swallowing hard down and getting lost into the blue of his eyes.

"I don't know how they got in. I'm so sorry... there was a group trying to tear the door down and we tried to hold them down. I didn't know they were in."

Regina nodded again, this time allowing herself to feel how his warm touch soothed some her tension away.

"If I shouldn't have sent Mulan…" He moved his hand to her shoulders and then to her arms as if to check for injuries. "We have to leave this place, I will drag you out even if I have to, do you understand that?"

Biting on her lips and trying to keep her emotions on check, she nodded once more. Yes, she understood, but at the same time, she knew that she couldn't let things stay like that. No, if the people outside wanted a piece of the Evil Queen, then she was going to give it to them…

As that thought settled in her mind, she imagined her mother laughing and she closed her eyes and allowed the sound of it to motivate her into impending action.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Well this is it." As soon as the words rolled out of her tongue in a raspy whisper, Regina placed the palm of her hands firmly over the marble vanity top standing right in front of her and lifting her head way up high in a proud manner, she narrowed her eyes as she looked into the large mirror hanging from the wall opposite to her.

In that way, haughty and feeling as regal as she has felt in almost three decades, she took a long scrutinizing look at her reflection and the corner of her lips curved involuntarily into the shadow of a smirk because yes, the image staring back at her was more than satisfactory.

True, she couldn't deny that the person staring back at her looked like a complete stranger as she hasn't seen her in long years, but the more her dark eyes drank on the image, the more she warmed to seeing that person… and the more she warmed up to becoming _her_ again.

It was as if making herself look like that again not only made her look different, but it also made her feel different and in that moment, that was all that she needed.

Arching an eyebrow and feeling her smirk getting more pronounced, she tilted her head to the side, watching in detail the way her eyes shone brighter now that she applied some black eyeliner. She liked that, and she also liked that with the way she made her eyelashes look darker and longer and with the way she outlined her eyes with a touch of silver shadow, her eyes ended up beautifully framed.

So yes, she liked it, and then it was her lips; they were colored a deep red like blood itself and somehow that made her fair skin look smoother and flawless. The contrast they created against the severe look in her eyes went along perfectly and she just had to nod in appreciation.

Now, that she was enjoying the finished product of her transformation had nothing to do with being vain. No… it had more to do with carrying an image and with a little bit of magic, that was exactly what she achieved. She was reliving the image of her glory days.

Humming low in her throat, she took a couple of steps back so that she could take a better look at the whole picture.

Her hair, up and out of her face was leaving her throat exposed and naked. That right there went along perfectly with the v neck of her dress and sure, she was showing more skin that she has done in years while in public but she made sure that even if a bit suggestive, it didn't end up being provocative.

Parting her lips, she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips and after a close inspection of the way her long black dress hugged her torso and hips like a second skin but flowed loose over her legs, she snapped her fingers and out of thin air, a long dark coat appeared on top of the vanity.

"You wanted an Evil Queen, well here she is." Without taking her eyes away from the mirror, she reached for the coat and slipped her arms into its long sleeves. Once in place she tied it by her waist, leaving the dress to show the upper part of it and the lower part.

Then, grabbing her skirts, she swirled around and with the echo of her high heeled boots filling the silence of the castle, she walked out of her self-assigned bedchambers.

Outside in the corridors, she walked with a steady pace and with her chin pointing high. She looked nowhere but ahead and with one goal in her mind, to go outside and show herself to the people outside.

It could be foolish, it could be suicide, but she was going to do it nonetheless. She was going to create mayhem, even if it was the last thing she did.

Halfway through, she saw out of the corner of her eyes as the man ridiculously called Little John stopped in his tracks as he saw her walking along the castle. She didn't mind him much, but when she heard him breaking into a run and calling for Robin, she was tempted to use some magic on him to make him shut up.

She didn't though, because all that mattered in that moment was going outside and hopefully show everyone why it was that it wasn't a good idea to mess with her.

Filled with determination, she let go of her skirts and snarled her lips. She was getting closer to the entrance by then and she had to get into full Evil Queen mode; she just had to turn around the next corner and she would end up in the main saloon and right by the door.

"Regina. Wait, wait… what are you doing?"

At the sound of his voice and his approaching steps, Regina rolled her eyes. Yes, she should have silenced that Little John when she had the chance because now Robin was going to try to stop her and for some reason, she would really hate to use magic on him.

"Stay out of this." She said curtly without turning around to take a look at him.

Not that it mattered to him, because before she could take a step forward, he grabbed her by the elbow and forced her around.

"Where do you think you are going?" He asked, his voice edging between annoyed and incredulous.

Widening her eyes, she leaned a little closer to him and looking straight at him, she bared her teeth. "I'm going outside. Now let go of me."

His jaw was tensing and his eyes were a shade darker, but he didn't let go and instead, his grip became stronger as he shook his head no. "I'm not going to let you do that."

Itching to use magic but desisting of it, she tried to pull away, but her attempts were stopped when he changed his hold on her to keep her in place by grabbing both her shoulders and backing her up against a wall.

"Damn it Robin." She hissed. "Just let me go!" After saying that, she tried once again to pull away from his hold, but he always countered all her attempts and after a small struggle were he ended up having the upper hand, she ended up pinned between his body and the wall.

"You said you didn't want to become this again and look at you now. What exactly do you want to do out there?" He asked, the intensity of his eyes digging deep into hers and his breathing brushing against her face.

That was how close he was to her; close enough so that her chest was pressed to his as his face hovered so close.

Swallowing on dry and pushing out of her mind the awkwardness of feeling him so near, The Queen tilted her head up and stared defiantly into his blue orbs. "I can't let them get away with what they tried to do to me."

"You didn't." He said through clenched teeth. "Those men are dead and one of them by you hand so you didn't let them get away."

Snorting bitterly, Regina inched her face closer to his. "And do you think those men out there won't attempt the same? They think I'm powerless here and as long as they believe that, they will try to get to me. I won't let that happen."

No, never again. Even if she died in the attempt, she would never let anyone make her feel as powerless as she felt when those men attacker her. And if she perished at least she would go down fighting and not hiding behind the walls of Gold's castle.

Blinking slowly, she shook her head and stared away maliciously. "I may even take the two dead men and show the bodies to them. I can cut off their heads and burn the bodies. That would be one hell of a statement before I start with them. Where did you put them?"

Taking in a deep breath, Robin tried to reason with her. "Regina…" He said softly, "You don't have to do this. There are other ways to deal with…"

"Other ways… you mean running and hiding? No… I won't do any of that." Her voice came out softer than what she intended and her eyes settled on his again. "Get Roland out and leave if you need to, but I won't just sit here and let them get away with this."

"And I won't just sit around and let you do this."

Feeling frustrated with the stubborn man, Regina closed her eyes for a second and puffed out a breath.

"I said I was going to help you and right now, the best help you can get is for me to stop you from going back into being like this."

"You can't help me because this is who I really am-" Yes, her mother was right. She has been in denial for so long and that only served to make her weak. "I'm a train wreck and I am vile and I want nothing more than making them pay for how they made me feel."

Opening her mouth to keep talking and then closing it again to gain a bit of composure, she took in a deep breath before going on.

"You don't get it, but this is how it is. I can put up with a lot of things… but a long time ago I swore to myself that nobody would ever make me feel this way so I can't… I won't let it die here as if nothing ever happened. And yes, those men are dead, but as long as the ones outside think they have a chance this won't end. So, if they wanted a piece of me then I will oblige, I will show them why it is that I'm not someone to mess around with."

His eyes moved along her face, taking in every detail. "I don't believe that this is who you are anymore. Don't let your past dictate your present, and don't let those dark thoughts in that head of yours cloud your judgment. You are mad and I get it, but you don't have to do this."

His hands moved up and the tip of his fingers slid slowly along her neck and then to her face. Regina just watched him and for a crazy second she thought that he was going to kiss her.

As she watched him she even held her breath and as his thumb slowly traced a path down her cheekbone and close to the corner of her mouth, she half hoped and half feared for him to do it.

He didn't though and probably that hasn't even been his intention, but that right there made her heart skip a beat and as if guided by instinct, she threw her head back an inch away from his.

"Haven't you heard, dark thoughts are the only thing I have in my head. That's why they call me the Evil Queen."

"Regina…"

Without much effort, she pulled away from him and began walking to the door. The walk felt eternal as she half expected Robin to stop her, but instead of Robin, the one that called after her was Mulan.

"You open that door and I'll shoot an arrow right through you."

Smiling in surprise, she turned gracefully around and saw that Mulan was right there by the door, with Robin's bow ready to be fired.

"Mulan, give me that." Robin said and Regina watched as he approached them both, his hand extended and his face stern.

"No Robin. You know that if she opens that door she will be doing as much as killing us all and I won't let that happen."

"She won't open that door. Regina… please, just think about your son and what would he think of this."

"I'm sorry." Regina said, but thinking that in some way Mulan was right and perhaps thinking about her son, she lifted a hand and made the other woman fly to the ceiling.

Once the female warrior was up there, her eyes open in horror and her back pressed to the ceiling, Regina made the bow land safely on the floor and shrugged. "Take Roland and get out of here." And then, without looking at Robin, she lifted her hand again and with a swift movement, she pursed her lips and swept him backwards until he was safely away from her.

Clenching her jaw at what she just did, she turned her head up and stared at Mulan. "You saved me from those men so I have a debt with you, and only for that reason I'll play nice. But if we cross paths again and you even do as much as threaten me again, I will kill you."

Waving her hand away she saw as the woman was dragged through the ceiling and off into the distance, then she took in a deep breath and turned around.

When she was in front of the door, she made it burst open and stepping into the night, she smirked her evil smirk and allowed everyone outside to see her.

"You wanted to see me? Well here I am."

Her voice, loud and clear made everyone turn to her. There was quite a multitude so extending her arms and then letting them fall hard to her sides, she created a forceful wave that made everyone fly a few steps back.

Her magic created a commotion and even thought she couldn't see everyone, she walked down three steps and saw a good amount of arrows coming her way. She made them snap in midair and hoping that she wasn't abusing her magic, she took a second to create a fireball that she threw into a nearby wagon.

It didn't take much after that so that people began to run in all directions and watching the scene unfold before her very own eyes, he tilted her chin up and realized that she hadn't killed anyone.

At least she didn't think that she did. She also realized that there was no sense of satisfaction in seeing them run away as if she was the devil reincarnated and swallowing slowly, she felt a cold breeze swept around her.

' _How disappointing of you; I expected more.'_

Her mother's voice echoed in her head and she rolled her eyes. "You are dead so shut up."

There was no reply to that and thinking that Robin may have spoiled the fun of creating havoc, she threw a fireball into the air and then she grunted.

She didn't know what it was about him but he had a way of getting into her head that she didn't like. Yes, maybe it all was in the fact that Tinker Bell got into her mind the idea that he was supposed to be her soul mate or something like that; whatever it was, as her eyes moved through the now deserted field that lead into Rumple's castle, all she could think about was that she used magic on him and that she hadn't like it.

"Damn you Robin…" She mumbled, and turning around and grabbing her skirts to make it back into the castle, she shook her head and slammed the door shut.

Hopefully, Robin did as she told her and left the castle… hopefully… but to be completely truthful she didn't think that was the case and she had a feeling that their next encounter was going to be a very tense one…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 9

Regina always thought that there was nothing more satisfying in the entire world than the feeling of fulfillment she would get deep in her heart after getting even with someone that has done her great harm.

In her past that feeling has always bordered in exhilaration… it has always been celebrated in wicked delight and she could even recall how she would thrive on the rewarding sensation of revenge until the joy of the act itself would leave her tired and consequentially bored.

So yes… the Regina from her past would have been out of her wits with joy after what she just did; but as it turned out, despite the outrageous dress she put on and the high heels and bold make-up, she wasn't that person anymore and the Regina she was that day… well, she wasn't feeling quite pleased and if she would deem herself capable of such a thing, she would even go ahead and say that she regretted it.

It was a strange sensation and compared to feeling extremely blithe as she has been expecting, she felt awful and she didn't like it.

Closing her eyes and resting the back of her head against the porcelain tub she conveniently made appear on her bedchambers, The Queen took in a deep breath and then she let it blow out of her mouth.

Summed up and against all odds, she could say that in that day there has been no satisfaction in revenge, no sense of fulfillment and definitely no rest for her troubled mind. The only results in her acts were that now her brain was in overload, carrying the burden of what she wanted to do and of what she did.

Especially when it came to Robin.

Now that she came to think about him at all wasn't what she wanted either but as time started to consume itself, she realized that she couldn't keep him out of her head. No… in her never-ending solitude she has had plenty of time to think about what happened and her deduction was that instead of acting on her impulses, she should have listened to him and most definitely, she shouldn't have used magic on him.

That last one was what troubled her the most; more than scaring the mob away, she felt dissatisfied with what went on with Robin and even though she didn't dare explore why she felt like that, because of him she just felt that her so called revenge ended up having the same effect as kicking a stone up a hill. Yes, she hit the target she wanted to hit, but soon after the stone came rolling back to hit her right in the face and full force.

Breathing in deeply, the Queen submerged her hand into the warm water of her bath and grabbed a sponge to continue with the process of cleaning up. Once in her hold, she dragged it down her leg and then up to her stomach.

"No… you did what you had to do." She said out loud, trying to convince herself that even though a lot of people including Robin could argue and condemn her acts as low and pure evil, in reality she was just doing what it was fair.

Those men, and especially the two they sent before the rest could figure out how to break into the castle had messed with something that has always made her feel vulnerable and that was something she couldn't overlook.

If she would have let it pass, she wouldn't have been able to live in peace with herself and she'll be damned if she let that happen. If Robin couldn't understand that then so be it, but she just couldn't have let it pass. Besides, she didn't kill anyone outside… she just made them go away. That had to count for something right? She didn't kill them all and if she refrained it has been because of how Robin got into her mind.

Opening her eyes and pursing her lips at the realization that he was once again occupying her thoughts, the brunette moved the sponge down her hips and thighs and then she went back up, sliding it slowly to her stomach so that she could start to absentmindedly rub her flesh in slow circles.

Robin… wherever he was, somehow she knew that he was fuming, she would bet on anything and as that thought settled in her mind she hummed.

She shouldn't care about what he felt or his whereabouts… she really shouldn't. After all for all she knew he and his son were far away from the castle by now and wouldn't that solve her issues with him? Not seeing him ever again…

Chewing on her lips compulsively and lifting one foot out of the water so that she could place it over the border of the tub, Regina closed her eyes once again and sunk a little lower into the bubbles in her bath.

She remained like that for a couple of minutes, the water soothing her and embracing her in that way she has always loved and as her mind started to clear off, she wondered what would come now.

But before she could get too comfortable, the door of the chambers slammed open and startled, the woman gasped as her feet slipped into the water making a splash.

In an instant, she saw the whole picture of where she was and how inconveniently naked she was and that provoked a series of images and memories to invade her mind. Some from her past, some she just imagined in that moment and none of them good. But when she saw that it was Robin, the pain clutching at her heart let go a little and she was able to breathe a bit easier.

But still, being interrupted while she was taking a bath didn't make her feel happy and with her heart beating painfully hard inside her chest and her brown chocolate eyes going as wide as they could, Regina closed her hands into fists and clenched her jaw hard. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You know why I'm here."

His tone was hard, his accent thick as she has ever heard it and his eyes on her felt dangerous; in resume, he looked mad and she couldn't remember seeing him get truly mad before.

Annoyed? Probably, but the fire in his eyes were talking pure anger and for some reason, that reminded her once again that she was in the tub, naked and exposed. With that in mind, she placed her arm strategically over her chest and lifted her chin up. Not that it mattered, as the bubbles were probably making a better job at hiding her nakedness from him.

"Get out of here before I make you get out, Robin."

Taking a step further, the man grabbed the spell book she has been reading and threw it in the bathtub. It went in with a splash and sunk immediately.

"What… no." She began to say in dismay because that book was the closest she had found about portals so with that in mind, her hand dropped into the water so that she could rescue it. When she managed to get it out it was soaked to the last page. "Look at what you did!"

"Get out of there." He commanded in a raspy growl as he watched her, and as he did that, he grabbed a bathrobe that has been laying on the floor and held it at reaching distance so that she could grab it and put it on.

In response, Regina sent him a look that felt as if it was meant to freeze him on the spot. "You don't get tell me what to do, thief; who do you think you are?"

Pursing his lips, the blue eyed man moved even closer, grabbed her arms and forced her up to her feet.

"What do you think you are doing?" The question came out in an indignant shriek and as if by instinct, she pushed him away. "Get your hands off me!"

Backing off and turning his back on her, Robin crossed his arms to his chest. "Go ahead and get presentable as I have no intentions of doing this with you on the nude."

Feeling her face flush in anger, Regina wrapped the bathrobe around her frame and stepped out of the tub. She didn't say anything when she walked pass him but it didn't come as a surprise when she heard him following her.

"What did you do to Mulan?"

Humming, Regina shrugged and swirled on her feet gracefully. "I don't know. Maybe I forgot what I did to her."

"Did you kill her?" As he said that, Regina noticed that his words were full of venom and to her that was another clear indication that the whole thing soured his mood considerably.

Now, for some reason she couldn't understand, the fact that he was pissed off made her feel pissed off herself so wanting to push at his buttons so that he could be equally annoyed, she forced her lips to curve into a devious smile. "Alright, alright… you got me; I know where she is and if I'm not mistaken, she is hanging somewhere around."

As soon as she finished her sentence, Robin grabbed her arms and pulled her close to him. "Let's cut the crap once and for all; I've been going out of my way to play nice with you but apparently that is not the way you do things. You wanted to irk me, well you did, now tell me where is she?"

Regina shook her head no while looking defiantly deep into his stormy blue eyes. "If you want to find your little girlfriend so bad, then go looking yourself."

"Did you kill her, yes or no?"

"No. I didn't. Is that what you wanted to hear? Now let me go and get off my sight."

As she hissed the words, his grip on her tightened and his jaw clenched harder. "Do you really get a kick out of being like this?"

Smirking her devious smirk and arching an eyebrow, she nodded. "Actually I do."

Snorting bitterly, his hands moved to her shoulders and his grip became stronger. "I don't get you. I've tried to but I just don't. A woman that was born having it all and yet she is so miserable that she has to make others feel the same."

Gasping at his insolence, Regina's eyes widened. Was this the man that made her feel bad because she use magic on him? Oh no, no, no… "How dare you…"

"Well yes I dare, and it's about time someone told you things as they are. You are probably used to people cowering by your power but it takes more than a little bit of magic to make me run with the tail between my legs." Robin interrupted her before she could finish. "I'm not afraid of what you can do; what I feel is sorry for you as it seems you like hurting people to fill a void you created by being so-" Shaking his head, he shrugged. "You know, it's really a shame you ended up being so wretched and vile. I don't get it. You have it all yet look at you." He snorted without a trace of amusement. "No wonder why you ended up so lonely."

Clenching her teeth and shaking her head, Regina tried to jerk free. "You don't know anything about me so don't speculate."

"Maybe I don't, but I know that I've met people that have gone through a hell of a lot worse that you would probably ever imagine and they didn't opt for letting darkness consume them. Maybe I don't know you, but I know that you took the easy way out by turning into this."

Feeling a bolt of rage running up her spine, Regina lost all control and using magic to break free of his hold, she clenched her hands into fists.

"Don't you dare. You don't know anything about the things I've gone through." As she said that, she took a step closer and hit his chest.

"You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth and grew up to became Queen so I don't think you know much about what is really suffering. I doubt that in your palace you ever lacked a meal or went to bed hungry and I bet that you never ever went to sleep at night cold and unsheltered. You were spared from the horrors of growing up alone and having to rob to survive. You don't know what is like to watch someone you love die while being unable to do something about it so don't tell me about how hard you had it in your palace."

Portraying an eerie calm she wasn't quite feeling, Regina was barely aware that her mouth was slightly parted but she could feel her breathing come out slowly and even, but inside… inside she was searing.

"You want to know about horrors? Let's talk about them because what would a Merry Man know about it. You are right, I was born more privileged than most but that didn't automatically make my life a fairy tale. And yes, I don't know what it is like to be cold and hungry, but I do know what is like to grow alone and under the shadow of a mother that wanted to shape me into the worst I could ever be and a father that wouldn't do anything to protect me."

Taking a second to hit her fist to his chest once more, she swallowed.

"I pulled through that and I can say that I made it relatively fine. But as for seeing someone loved die? Make it seeing your own mother kill the only person you love and who loved you back right in front of you only because she promised you to the King? Did you live that? Because I did! I had to stand and watch my own mother kill my fiancé so that she could whore me to the King! A man that for all his glory was nothing but a pig that for years and years did nothing but to break me and turn me into this wretched person I am today."

By then, her eyes were two pools wanting to break free and she had to take in a deep breath to control herself. It didn't work, she just choked on in and when the first tear fell another one followed and that made her feel even more angry.

Robin did nothing but to look at her intently, the fire in his eyes turning into something Regina hated to recognize as pity. Maybe she said enough, but she has never vented about the feelings she kept hidden deep in her dark soul and as it turned out, she didn't want to stop until she had it all out.

"So not only did I have to endure the pain of my mother killing the man I loved after the King's daughter told her about us, but I also had to play the loving mother to her. I got tired of it and yes, maybe I took the easy way out, but unless you walked a mile in my shoes don't you ever dare question my motives!"

Robin, apparently not knowing what to say, tried to reach for her but that did it for Regina, as soon as his arm extended towards her she slapped it away and before she knew what was going on, she sprung forward and shoved him forward.

"Don't you touch me." Her words came out in a sob. She hadn't even realized she was crying and trying to make a quit exit, she made an attempt to turn from him.

She hated to cry in front of people, especially if it was about something so personal as her life. But Robin seemed to have a death wish and instead of letting her go as he should have, he spun her around and circled her with his arms. "I'm sorry."

Trying to fight it, she tried to break free, but the more she tried the more secure he would hold her and after a struggle that drained her off all her strength, she just let him hold her as she cried and cried.

It was as if she was finally letting go of all the things she has been holding down for so long and as Robin held her to him, she just let everything flow out.

It took a while for her to calm down, and it was only when there were no more tears to shed that she realized that they were no longer standing but that somehow, Robin had taken her to the bed and they were now just sitting there, Regina snuggled against him and with her face pressed to his chest and Robin just holding her, his fingers buried into her dark hair and his lips touching her forehead.

Blinking, she felt her moistened eyelashes brush against his face and at that, he pulled away the sightless bit and looked at her long and deep.

He didn't say anything and neither did her, no… the only thing she could think was that the weight of her vulnerable moment was going to fall upon her soon.

It hasn't yet, thing that should trigger the alarms in her head because for this being the first time she ever said the things she said to another person, she wasn't feeling anything but a deep sense of calmness wash over her.

Pulling away a bit as well, she looked into his eyes and blinked slowly. "I didn't kill anyone outside… or Mulan, I didn't even harm them. And I'm not as wrecked as you think I am, not anymore."

Nodding, he bit on his lips and his eyes moved along her face. "Well, you sure as hell don't go out of your way to convince me otherwise."

Realizing that her hands were still on his chest, Regina let them fall, but when they landed on his lap she made no attempt to move them away.

"I'm sorry about the things I said… I didn't know… but, Gods, sometimes I just think that you thrive in getting the worse out of me out and I just let you." He chuckled. "And when you do that I don't know what I want to do more, shake you as hard as I can or just…" He blew out a breath and then chuckled again. "Or just kiss you until you get some senses into that thick skull of yours."

If it hadn't been because she was half numb after crying her feelings away, Regina would have disappeared out his arms as soon as Robin said that. But she was as if in a trance and she just looked at him through curious eyes.

"But you won't do any of that." She said as a matter of fact and he shook his head no.

"You know I won't."

Nodding and very conscious of the way he took his hand from her hair, Regina lowered her face and closed her eyes. After what just happened she felt emotionally drained and taking in a deep breath, she tried to make things have more sense.

"So where is Mulan?"

Instead of replying, what Regina did was lean closer into him and then ever so slightly, she brushed her lips to his.

It wasn't quite a kiss, but at the contact she was able to feel the way his stuble scratched against her skin and before she could pull off, he grabbed the back of her head and made the contact last a little longer.

Tingling all over, she angled her face to the right and he softly pecked her mouth; his lips soft and pliant taking hers in a kiss. But then, before the things could turn into something more, she pulled away and kept her eyes closed.

"What was that?" He asked and she genuinely didn't know what to reply.

"I don't know."

And she didn't. There has been so many emotions going on in such a short amount of time that she was now confused.

Clearing his throat, Robin moved closer and kissed the top of her head. "I don't think you are as wretched as you think you are; I do whoever, believe that you do everything in your power to portray yourself as such. Don't do that, you don't have to give the worse you have… you have more than that so don't let her win."

With that said, Robin got to his feet and walked out of the room. Meanwhile, Regina remained sitting there, thinking about what he said and most importantly, on the kiss she just initiated.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

If there was something to be said about Robin Hood, it was that he was man of honor and principle. True, such adjectives wouldn't normally apply for a man that has spent half his life looting and robbing, but everyone who knew him would agree that those two were the words that would describe the man best.

He believed that everything had to be done the right way; he believed in being fair and because he was such an altruistic by heart, he believed that the best deed to be done was helping others. Now, that he thought and acted by his own code didn't make him a saint because he had his good share of flaws and he knew it, but if anyone would ask him, he would say that yes, that even though he has dealt with a lot of hardships, he has remained in essence a good man.

But… right in that moment he didn't exactly feel as a good man. Quite the contrary, after being able to take a sit and draw a deep breath, he has looked back to what happened with Regina and the memory of it only left a sour taste on his mouth.

He had no justification for the things he said and even as he was saying them he knew it; but the thing was that he has let anger and frustration get the best of him and now he could see that going off on her hadn't been the best action to take.

He has been wrong… he admitted it… but at the same time he couldn't help but to think that there was something about Regina that just made the worse of him come out.

She was… he didn't even know how to explain it; she just had an uncanny ability to unknowingly play with his mind and make him feel all sort of things in a short amount of time.

Take that day example, when Little John has gone to him to inform him that she was in full Evil Queen mode, he has felt the need to go and reason with her. It didn't work, she went ahead and did her thing and that definitely made his mood turn to acrid.

For a moment he forgot that she was a broken woman who just dealt with something that obviously bothered her greatly and instead he just focused on the fact that he couldn't get why she would let darkness take hold of her like that.

It has been his mistake to overlook that, but he has been so sure that she had more in her than that and that she would so easily slip back to what she was simply made him mad.

In his bad temper he couldn't fathom that such a strong woman could be so easily manipulated by her own dark thoughts and he let his own anger make him go to her and say the things he said.

Needless to say, the results had been catastrophic.

Quirking his lips and cradling his head into his hands, Robin closed his eyes for a second and took in a deep breath.

When Regina started to cry he almost freaked out because the truth was that weeping women made him uncomfortable. He just didn't know how to deal with them, and when that woman was the so called Evil Queen, a woman that for all it was said about her had a heart made out of stone and a soul dark as sin, he just couldn't help but to feel even more lost.

But Regina… the thing about her was that even if she could make him mad as hell, he couldn't picture her as everybody else did. Yes, he knew of the things she did and he knew them well; but having her there, in flesh and blood was different that hearing about her and he could no longer dehumanize her and deprive her of her essence.

What he saw in her was a woman that was carrying a lot of pain and knowing that only made him oddly drawn to her. Maybe that was the reason why he reached for her and tried to offer what little comfort he could, maybe that was why he pulled her into his arms and let her cry.

Oh but she fought him, of course she did, but because he could be as stubborn as she was he never let go until she gave in and let it all out.

That's how his anger dwindled down and gave way to a more sympathetic side of him.

For a long time he just held her, his mind swirling about the things she said… trying to imagine the things that happened to her and the ones she implied. It was terrible just to think about it so he didn't even want to imagine what it was like to had lived them…

Now… as for the kiss… he didn't even know that to think about that. She has been upset… that was the only way thing he could think off and as for his reason not to pull away as soon as he felt her lips on him? Well…

"Papa?"

Lifting his head and seeing Roland standing by the door with a huge grin on his face, Robin tried to shake all his Regina thoughts out of his mind and he offered the boy his best smile.

"Hey, there you are. Come here."

Roland went running to him, giggling, and when he sat on his father's lap Robin mussed his hair.

"Why is Mulan floating in the air. Is it magic?"

"You found Mulan?"

"Little John and I did." He said proudly, then he started talking without taking a breath. "But we can't get her down because she's all the way up to the ceiling and Little John said that I had to go come and tell you to ask the Queen to put her down and… and there was something else but I don't remember."

Taking it all in, Robin pursed his lips. "Mulan is floating…" It wasn't a question, he just wanted to let it all sink in. "Is she alright?"

"I think she's mad." He giggled and made a face. "Does the Queen has magic, Papa?"

Cringing at the question and biting hard on his tongue as not to cuss out loud in front of his son, Robin Hood lifted his hands up in the air and then ever so slowly, he placed them on top of his head.

"If she does, can we get rid of the trolls and get a real home?" The boy, who was no longer giggling asked innocently, his eyes full of wonder and even a little excitement.

"No. Magic always comes with a price, so even if the Queen has it, we shouldn't use it to harm… even if it is the trolls."

To that Roland didn't say anything, he just shrugged and casted his head down. "We should still ask her…"

"Damn it, Regina." Robin hissed under his breath because he didn't really want to explain to his boy why using magic was not the answer. He wasn't exactly in the mood and besides, even though Roland has seen quite a lot in his short years, he didn't want him fully knowing about magic.

"Papa! Don't cuss. Friar Tuck says it is bad to cuss."

"I know, I know." Robin said before kissing the boy's head. "I'll tell you what. I'll go with the Queen and you will go and wait with Little John, deal?"

Nodding and jumping to his feet, Roland ran to the door. Robin watched him, wondering if it was such a good idea to go to the Queen so soon after… everything.

Clearing his throat and standing up, he decided that this couldn't wait. He didn't exactly know in what conditions was Mulan 'floating' but he was going to assume that the sooner she would be let down, the better.

With that in mind, he walked back to the Queen's chambers and once he was by the door, he knocked.

Yes, he actually knocked because last time he went in the Queen hadn't been presentable and he didn't want to repeat that. But after knocking three times and getting no answer he decided to open the door a bit and call for her.

"Regina."

Still no answer so he pushed the door wide open to take a look in. The Queen, who was sitting by a table, fully dressed and with her eyes fixed in the crystal ball he has given to her a while ago, didn't even moved when he cleared her throat.

"Didn't you take a hint in the fact that I wasn't answering? I want to be alone." Her voice, cutting and distant made him know that she was back in her haughty mode and trying not to wonder if that was a good thing or a bad one, he took another step in.

"We found Mulan, but it appears to be that we need you to help her down." As he said that, he saw that she was once again checking on her son through the crystal ball and apparently that demanded all her attention. "Regina?"

Rolling her eyes, she touched the magic sphere and the image of the boy was gone. "What?"

"We need you to put Mulan down."

Arching an eyebrow, she looked at him and lifted her face. "Why, hanging there can be quite a humble experience and she needs it."

"Maybe, but I still need you to put her down."

Her eyes found his and she stared deep into them. It was almost as if she was testing him and holding on her gaze, he waited.

But then, she sighed and waving her hand she turned away from him and went back to the crystal ball. "Done, now leave me."

Robin watched her for a while longer and despite himself, he started to study her appearance. Now, as he stood there, had no doubt why people used to comment on her striking beauty when she has been Queen as he has seen her exactly how she looked when she used to rule the Enchanted Forest and beauty fell too short of an adjective.

But as enticing as she has looked earlier on, he would rather see her like she was now, her hair down and softly brushing against her shoulders, her lips faintly colored and her skin glowing with her natural beauty. Even her eyes looked stunning with only her eyelashes to compliment them.

"Close the door when you go out."

Ignoring the dismissal, he blinked a few times and before he could stop himself, he was opening his mouth to talk. "What happened earlier on…"

"I don't want to talk about it." She said before he could even finish and even though she was looking at the crystal ball, Robin noticed that the sphere was not portraying any kind of image.

"Was is it all true?" Now, he knew it was all true as why would anyone lie about it and then react so strongly about it, but he needed to start somewhere.

"What part of I don't want to talk about it didn't you get?" She asked, her voice dripping venom.

That's when he knew that no, the fact that she was turning back to her haughty mode wasn't good like at all. Not when he thought that her opening to him was a good progress.

But he was stubborn… and so he pressed in another direction.

"Alright, how about we talk about you kissing me. What was that all about?"

Turning to him and sending him an icy cold glare, Regina opened her mouth and then clasped it shut. She hadn't been expecting him to ask so boldly and for a moment she just looked at him in bewilderment. Then, she got a grip and straightening her back and arching an eyebrow, she shrugged.

"I didn't kiss you."

"Oh, so you just stumbled and fell on my lips?" He scoffed, his eyes shining in amusement at her obvious discomfort with the subject.

Shaking her head, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. "That wasn't even a kiss so get over it; as if I would be kissing you." Now, her tone was in full disdain mode as she went back to giving her back to him and he wondered why she was so in the defensive.

"If that wasn't a kiss then what was it?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She said again and Robin could feel himself getting frustrated again. Not that he was going to let it affect him.

Oh but part of him wanted to push at her buttons, not out of malice but just to see why she was like this now. Less than an hour ago she was opening to him and now she was trying to push him away and he didn't get it.

"Well I've had them better too but I still consider it a kiss. What I don't get is why did you do it."

"Just drop it, thief."

"I'm the thief? Well you were the one stealing kisses out of me."

Regina gasped and with wide eyes she stared at him. "I was upset okay, _you_ made me feel upset and I didn't know what I was doing. Is that what you wanted to hear? So now that you had your answer, leave me alone and go check on your little girlfriend."

Tilting his head to the side but without taking his eyes from her, Robin chewed on the inside of his cheek and tried to figure out why was Regina always calling Mulan his girlfriend and why did she always say it in such a tone.

Snorting and shaking his head at the ridiculous thought he just had, Robin walked closer to Regina and once in front of her, he lowered to her level and smiled.

He knew he shouldn't be doing this but he couldn't help it. Seeing Regina like that made him think on an entire new light and feeling a little playful without the intention of carrying things on, he used a finger to lift her chin to him.

"Well if that's the case, feel free to call me whenever you feel upset."

Regina, parted her lips and in what could be considered as a snarl, she hissed. "You can dream on it, but it's not going to happen."

"Fair enough." He said, getting a bit closer… in fact he got a hell of a lot closer and too late did he realize that moving an inch closer would make his lips touch hers. "But what if I get upset?"

"You can deal with it just fine, I bet." Regina didn't pull away and he got lost in her eyes.

How was this woman making him act so unlike himself? He didn't get it. He hadn't known her for too long and yet she was capable of messing with his mind like no other. And the worse thing was that she wasn't even aware that she was doing it.

Lowering his eyes to her lips, Robin swallowed on dry and then he went back to stare into her brown orbs… and that's when it got into his mind that if he moved that inch closer, he could kiss her and she would probably let him.

At least that was what her eyes were silently telling him.

"Papa?"

His son's voice made him pull back and out of the corner of his eyes he saw the way Regina tensed her jaw and pressed her back against her chair.

"What are you doing?"

Forcing out a smile, he looked at the boy and wrinkled his nose. "Nothing… I was talking with the… with Regina."

"Oh alright. Mulan wants to talk to you."

Running a hand down his face, Robin mumbled something that Regina couldn't quite listen and then he was out the door as if he was being chased by the devil himself.

Regina watched him, her eyes wide in confusion after what just happened. Had Robin wanted to kiss her? Had she wanted him to do it? No… no.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Roland said and it was only then that she realized that the boy stayed behind.

"Yes, of course, dear." Shaking all thoughts away, she smiled to the boy and nodding, she watched as he walked close to her.

Once he was by her side, he motioned her to lean closer and she did.

Once he was able to stand on his tip toes, he grabbed her face and whispered in her ear. "I can do magic too."

Frowning, Regina looked at the boy and after noticing the resemblance to his father, she asked. "Really, and how is that?"

Giggling, Roland let go of her and walking to the wall, he knelt down and took out a chalk. With it, he drew a circle and when it was done, he crawled through it and disappeared into it.

Regina gasped in surprise and getting to her feet in a hurry, she walked to the wall and peered in.

Roland was at the other side, clearly on the corridor outside her bedchambers.

"See, I have magic too."

"I can't believe this," she said, crawling through the circle too and sitting next to Roland. "How didn't I see this one?" She laughed, all of a sudden feeling content.

She just couldn't help it, as she was sure that Roland just put her in the right track so that she could go back to her son… finally.


	9. Chapter 9

Shaking his head as he realized how he almost became a victim of his own impulses and dragging the palm of his hand down his face until it rested still over his lips, the man known as Robin Hood walked through the long corridors of the Dark One's castle as if in a trance.

He walked without really looking where he was going because he didn't need to, by then he knew the place upside down and he was sure that he could walk through it all with his eyes closed and still get where he wanted to go.

So no he wasn't looking… what he was doing was thinking about what he almost did a minute ago and that was taking hold of all of his attention.

Making a right turn at the next corner, the man muffled out a groan and dropping his hand so that it could hang limply against his side, he shook his head even harder.

"Regina, Regina… what are you doing to me?"

He really didn't get it, never in a thousand years would he have played with the idea of doing such a thing as wanting to kiss the so called Evil Queen and yet there he was… not only did he want to do it, but the more he thought about it the more he understood that if Roland hadn't walked in, he would have done it.

And God damned him to an eternity in hell but he had really, really wanted to kiss her and not necessarily in the chaste way they had kissed that first time.

It was just… well he wouldn't know how to explain it, but somehow he got caught up in the moment; with her lips so close and inviting and her soft brown eyes looking at him so intently, his mind got clouded and he almost fell for temptation.

It has been a moment of weakness, he could see that now and he now realized also that as tempting as it was and as appealing as the promise of a simple kiss could turn to, he couldn't allow himself to nurse those kinds of impulses with her of all women…

With that in mind, he clenched his jaw painfully tight and making an attempt of banning all improper thoughts of his mind, he walked the rest of the way until he found himself making it to where Mulan was waiting for him.

"Mulan." He said, eyeing the woman over and noticing at first glance that she looked mad as hell. "Are you well?"

She looked well enough for him, but knowing that Regina had made her float against the ceiling for an undetermined amount of time prompted him to ask.

Narrowing her eyes, Mulan took a step closer to him. "I told you that woman was going to be trouble since the moment you found her. But did you ever listen to me? No, you didn't, instead of reasoning a little as anyone with a bit of sense would have done, what you did was let her seduce you into her cause and look where that lead us."

Pursing his lips, Robin looked up to the opposite wall and stared at it for a second. "She hasn't seduced me into anything…"

Mulan laughed at that, but the outburst didn't have any trace of amusement. "Fool yourself as much as you want to but don't try to fool me. I'm not blind nor stupid so I see the way you look at her." She sighed and folded her arms to her chest. "Ever since the first night I found you together I noticed you were letting her pretty face impair your judgment and as time passed by I also saw how you always found excuses to go to her and how you always had to touch her and all that silliness and trust me, it's not that I care who you fancy because I really don't; Robin, I'm telling you this as a friend, you have to remember who she is and what she has done. That woman, she is the Evil Queen and there is a reason why she is called like that. She has murdered, she was made people suffer and she has done so without an ounce of regret."

Shaking his head, Robin blew out a breath. "Think what you want to think Mulan as I won't argue my case with you, but you know that I've never been one to turn my back on someone that needs help and right now she needs help. Has she done terrible things? Perhaps, but I see something more in her that what she wants people to see and as long as I see it I won't turn my back on her."

"And that is how she has you seduced. You don't see her for what she truly is and she uses that to play with; but alright… you do what you have to do, just make sure to remember that after that little display she just did, the consequences are going to be dreadful. She has to go."

Snorting, Robin lifted his hands in the air and then he let them fall heavily to his sides. "And what do you suggest I do? It's not like I can kick her out."

"You can't or you won't?"

Pushing the inside of his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, Robin tilted his head to the side and stared at Mulan for a while. True, he appreciated the woman to no end, but that didn't mean that he couldn't get annoyed with that way of hers of being so dense.

"Do you want to do the honors and kick her out yourself? Or perhaps we should call the mob back here, open the doors for them and let them take her off our hands? Is that what we should do? Let them march in here, rape her as some clearly intended, kill her and then hang her outside to your viewing pleasure."

Taking a step closer, Mulan shook her head. "I don't know, all I know is that the mob she so easily dispersed is gathering back together and they intend to come back with more force. And when they do that because trust me, they will, they will take everyone who is on their way and that includes me, Little John, you, and Roland. That's why she needs to go."

Robin absorbed the words and let them settle in.

"I know you think I say this because I have no love for the woman but trust me, it is more than that. And yes, I know what those men wanted to do to her because I was there and I almost ran the same fate so I can understand better than you do the reason why she went out there to do what she did. But what you can't see is that by doing so, what she did was make them want to get her even more. Outside they are plotting and planning on ways to take her down and as if that wasn't enough, some people are talking about the West stirring up and you know that can't be good. She has to go, Robin, or else we will all go down with her."

"West? There has been nothing in the West in ages." He said as something in his gut that felt like apprehension made him tense a little. "And the men, they would be fools if they come back here."

"You've been in here for too long so you know nothing. Outside of these walls what reigns is chaos; ever since she got here men are restless and that makes them dangerous. But that's not all; did you know that flocks of crows and wolves and all sort of beasts are heading West? Even the trolls are leaving and they are doing it in the same direction."

"West…" He said, trying to recall the fables about West. He has heard all sort of things about the West when he was a lad, terrible tales of wickedness that would make Regina pale in comparison, but were those real or just stories to spook the young ones?

"I'm leaving with Little John before the night falls, I… I want to warn Aurora… and Philip about all of this. Come with us, don't make her be your downfall."

Shaking his head and blinking a couple of times, Robin tapped his fingers to his lips. "I can't." Perhaps Mulan was right and Regina being there was endangering everyone, but he felt like he owned it to her to help her out. After all he didn't save her out of the water just to let her suffer and die at the hands of a mob so no, he couldn't just leave her to her luck.

He was going to stay to the very end… he just hoped for his son's life that he wouldn't regret it.

XxXxXxXxX

"Is that your house?"

Frowning as her head tilted a little to the right, Regina observed with extreme care the drawing extending all over the floor in front of her and after a close inspection, she shrugged a bit unconvinced. "Well, I suppose… but drawing has never been my forte. Magic on the other hand…" With that said, she made the chalk take a life of its own and she let the green colored stick continue the work for her.

Roland giggled happily as he shifted his eyes between the magic chalk and her own face and Regina couldn't help but to allow a genuine smile crept to her lips.

"I want to learn to do that."

Pursing her lips, Regina watched the progress of the chalk. It did a better job that what she has been doing but after a few seconds, she grabbed the chalk and finished adding a few details to the drawing of her house in Storybrooke.

"Magic can be great, but sometimes it is also good to take the time and do things for yourself. It makes you appreciate everything in a whole new way. You need to remember that, always."

True, magic could make her finish the drawning a lot sooner, but she was enjoying sitting there with Roland and as odd as it was, she wasn't minding postponing the inevitable moment of her departure from the Enchanted Forest.

"You have a big, big house." Roland said dreamily. "Your son must be happy to live there."

Her smile widened, but unlike a minute ago she wasn't feeling it. Henry… just to think that she was so close to meeting with him once again filled her with a mixture of dread and excitement.

"He is happy with his accommodations…" But she was going to keep to herself the fact that her son's accommodations were not in her house and that instead, it made him extremely happy to live in a small apartment the size of a shoe box with Swan and both the Charming fools.

"Can he do magic too?" Roland asked and as if in demonstration, he closed his eyes and soon after she saw a blue chalk lift in the air and swirl. It fell down quick enough, but in Regina's mind it was still impressive for a boy of four to learn on his own.

"He certainly does not. Does your father know you can do that?" Somehow she didn't think so as Robin didn't seem like the kind of man that would encourage his toddler to do magic tricks.

"When my Papa and I can get out of here we are going to find a big house to live in too. Maybe then I'll show him magic and together we will defeat the trolls."

"Is that so?" She asked, casting a look at him and smiling again. As she did that, she couldn't help but to think of the boy's father and whatever kind of dynamic they were having together.

She wouldn't know what it was with him, she just knew that it was weird to think of a man without thinking that he was idiotic, useless or simply annoying but that it was hard to think of Robin going by those adjectives. Yes, maybe he could get on her nerves a little but she was going to peg that to the fact that deep inside, she wanted nothing but to push him as far away as she could.

It was simple, after what she knew, she didn't want her defenses down when it came to him… what she didn't know or did not want to see was that maybe it was a little late for that considering the fact that her walls were half crumbling down at his feet.

"I already drew the village we will live in," He said proudly. "It has a lake and other children so that I can play with them."

Shaking her head from her Robin thoughts, she ran a hand through her hair. "Sounds nice to me, I may have to go and visit you one day." After saying that, she closed her eyes in amazement and chuckled.

She still couldn't believe that all the time she has been there trying to make a portal, Roland has been in the next room learning magic on his own and experimenting with enchanted chalk.

"No you won't. When people go away from me they never come back and once you go to your village with Henry, you will forget about me."

The boy said that with such an eerie conviction that Regina had to take a minute to look at him. He didn't seem upset, in fact he looked as if he was used to say those kind of things.

"I won't forget about you, Roland. You are a very special boy and well, after all you ended being the one who helped me find a way back to my son."

"I helped more than my Papa?" He asked brightly and his eyes going wide in anticipation."

Chuckling and getting near him so that she could talk in a hushed voice, she nodded. "Yes, but don't tell him that, okay?"

At that Roland started to giggle and he even got to his feet and made a little dance that made Regina laugh.

"I leave for a couple of minutes and when I come back I find you two giggling while sitting in the floor, what is going on here?"

Sobering up a little, Regina turned her head to the side and found Robin standing by the door. His arms were crossed to his chest and he was looking down at her with an amused smile on his lips.

"I don't giggle." She said turning her head away from him and going back to her drawing.

"Regina is leaving to Storybook tonight." Roland burst out.

"Storybrooke," She said gently while chewing on her lips.

"That's what I said."

"You found a way to make a portal?" Robin asked somberly, apparently the amusement of his voice faded away.

She nodded. "Could be, it won't hurt to try though."

Robin cleared his throat. "That's good; I mean it is best for everybody. Mulan and Little John are also leaving to Aurora's Palace so why don't you hurry and say your farewells before they leave, Roland?"

"They are going? Why, I don't want them to go, Papa!" Roland cried out and Regina couldn't help but to feel for the boy. But before anyone could reach for him, the boy ran away.

Robin made as if to go after him, but then he stood his ground and just watched him go.

"He's a good boy, take good care of him." She said while getting up to her feet and wiping her hand to her pants.

Robin nodded, his lips pursed and his eyes finding hers. "I will, he's all I have."

"I can relate to that."

At her words, his lips curved into the phantom of a smile and he shrugged, his dimples on full display as he looked at her. "So this is it, you are finally going to go back to Henry."

"Seems so; I still have a few details to figure out but I think this is it. I'll get off your hands soon." Clearing her throat and somehow feeling extremely awkward, she pursed her lips and just reciprocated the way he was looking at her.

For a few seconds that was all they did, look at each other, but then he drew in a deep breath and chuckled. "Then this is farewell."

"Yes." She said, extending her hand for him to take it. "Thanks for everything, I really appreciate it."

Taking her hand and letting her shake it, Robin nodded. "No problem; anytime you feel like falling out of the sky and back into the Enchanted Forest, I'll be happy to save you. Just try to warn me beforehand… you know, to get mentally prepared and all that."

Rolling her eyes, Regina shook her head. "I don't see that happening."

"The offer will still stand."

Snorting, she tilted her head up while feeling very aware that her hand was still engulfed in his. He didn't seem to care though, and instead of letting her go he just focused his eyes on hers.

"You take care, alright?" He said, but he still wouldn't let go and before Regina could answer, he pulled her close and circled an arm to her waist in an embrace.

Not used to such displays, Regina let her arms hang limp to her sides. She was just not touchy friendly and this embrace made her feel awkward. But still, she closed her eyes and breathed into the moment.

"I should go and check on Roland."

The man's voice came out in a whisper that almost made her shiver, especially when he did no attempt to let her off the embrace.

Was he aware of what he was doing? She didn't think so, because if he did he would have ended the contact a long time ago.

But he hadn't, his arm was holding her secure against him and he didn't seem to have any intention of letting go soon.

"So…" She said pulling away a little, at least enough so that she could look at his face. "Goodbye, Robin."

"Goodbye." He said, moving his head to hers and kissing her cheek.

At the contact, the dark haired closed her eyes and breathed in, but when he pulled away she automatically did the same move he did with her and kissed his cheek, her lips lingering for more time that it really should.

"Go get Roland." She whispered and before she could even think of pulling away, Robin dragged his mouth along her cheek and didn't stop until he was touching her lips with his in a slight caress.

Now, much as the first time they kissed, this contact was brief and before she could really enjoy it for what it was, Robin broke the contact and smiled. "Sorry, farewells kind of make me upset and well… perhaps I suffer from the same malady that afflicts you."

Blinking her eyes open and fixing her gaze on him, Regina tilted her head to the right, her upper teeth grasping the bottom half of her lips as her hands settled on his stomach.

"You are mocking me." She said softly, not understanding why she was letting him do this. Maybe it was because she knew this was going to be the last time she would ever see the man and what harm would a little kiss create?

On the contrary, kissing him this last time could help her take him off her mind and then, in the solitude of her house in Storybrooke, she could forget all about him without wondering how it would have been to give in even if it was a little.

"I am not." Robin sucked the inside of his cheek into his mouth and then he did it again, he moved forward and kissed her. This time he pressed against her lips a bit harder and she reciprocated by adding some pressure of her own.

Robin's lips were soft and warm against hers, that was the only thing she could focus on, and when he parted his lips into the kiss she did the same, their breaths mingling together.

Moving his hand to her lowed back, Robin caught Regina's lips between his teeth, alternating between nibbling softly at her flesh and kissing her full on the mouth, both provoking the former Queen to sigh.

Now, as little as it was, the moment felt surreal, his lips were starting to stir things inside of her that has been long dormant and she couldn't help but to feel amazed at how it felt almost magical; true, that right there also made her want to pull away.

Perhaps letting him kiss her has been a mistake, one of the many she has committed in her life and the only way to fix it was to end it.

She didn't need his kisses or romance in her life and let alone to fall into Tinkerbell's trap… no, whatever she could end up feeling that she needed out of Robin was born out of a prophecy that a wannabe fairy made years ago so it wasn't true.

It was an illusion mixed up with the fact that she couldn't remember the last time she has been kissed like that so she needed to stop Robin from taking too much liberties with her.

Only that she didn't, she just remained there, reciprocating his soft kisses and not knowing what to do with her hands.

Swallowing hard down, she felt how he lifted a hand to the back of her head and then, taking her by surprise he ran his tongue over his lips.

Breathing against him, she nursed the idea of pushing him off, but before she could even do such a thing, her tongue acted out of its own accord and before she knew what was happening, it was darting pass her lips to touch with his.

It was a brief contact, their tongues brushed together and his hand buried in her hair, pulling her closer against him as he took the liberty of kissing her deeper.

She let him do that too, the feeling of his tongue sneaking into her mouth and swirling around hers making her tremble; that right there made a sudden wave of warmness wash all over her and out of instinct she pulled away.

Through wide eyes she stared at him, and then, licking her lips without even knowing that she was doing it, she casted her eyes down and cleared her throat. "I think that's enough. I have to finish this if I ever want to leave."

With that said and definitely feeling how hard her heart was beating inside her chest, she turned her back on him and closing her eyes at realization of what she let him do, she drew in a deep breath and sat on the floor again.

Robin didn't say anything and she had an impression that he wanted to, but focusing on what was important, she continued with the portal.

"And how is that supposed to work?" He asked after a while, his raspy voice filling the space around her.

"I draw the place I want to be and then with magic, I jump into it and voila." It was just like that scene at Marry Poppins, or so she hoped. "I just need to draw it right."

"Well it doesn't look right. You are not very good at drawing."

Turning to him and finding him once again smiling at her, she shrugged. But when she was about to respond, Little John came running into the room.

"Robin! Robin… you won't believe what happened." The man clearly out of breath doubled over and shook his head. He looked in distress so Regina watched him through narrowed eyes. "He came and… and he was upset because everyone was leaving and he went running into the dining hall and he just jumped into a drawing he has made in the floor and he disappeared. I don't know how that happened."

Closing her eyes at what she just heard, Regina took in a deep breath and tried to digest it all.

"You told him how to use the portal?" Robin asked in reproach and Regina shook her head immediately.

"No, I didn't…"

She opened her eyes to look at him and apparently not feeling like kissing her anymore or even smiling at her, she saw as Robin reached for her and grabbing her by her elbows, he made her get to her feet. "Then how, did he know?"

Clenching her jaw, Regina pulled away from his hold and snarled her lips. "He was the one who told me how to use the portal. He's the one who showed me the way so don't blame me for this one."

Looking at her harshly, Robin shook his head and then turned around to leave the room. Little John followed him and after a while, she groaned, took a couple of chalk stick and went after them as well.

She found them by the dining table and staring at the drawing Roland has made there.

"How do I jump in?" Robin asked in a tense tone.

"It doesn't just work by jumping in, you have to know exactly where you are heading, you have to know the place to the last detail or it won't work. And this drawing… it is Roland's work, a product of his imagination; like an utopia he created to live with you. If you jump in out of the blue you can end up anywhere."

At least that was what she believed.

Cussing under his breath, Robin slammed his hand over the table and after doing that he just went and grabbed his bow. "I'm going in. I have to."

"I'll go with you." Little John said. "It's my fault, I should have stopped him. But I didn't know… I really didn't."

Shaking his head and clenching his jaw, Robin ran a hand down his face. "No, stay here in case he comes back. I'll go alone."

"I'll go, with you…" Regina said before she could even think on what she was saying. Yes, she had to make sure that Roland was alright and despite all his bravado and magic bow, she was sure that Robin alone wouldn't be able to make it.

Not blindly at least. And if he did he wouldn't know how to get back. She did, she had enchanted chalk to make a portal and she had magic to help along the way.

So yes, she was going…

Now, after she said that, the blue eyed man looked at her hard and intently so before she could change her mind because she knew that she was going to sooner rather than later, she extended her hand over the drawing and with magic, she made it come to life. "Now jump before it closes."

Robin jumped without even thinking about it and as she watched him disappear into the drawing, she took in a deep breath and jumped to…


	10. Chapter 10

Never before in her life had Regina felt so out of control. It was a sickening feeling that had her heart beating furiously hard against her ribcage and as her body went on a never ending freefall, she was ridiculously afraid that the organ was going to either explode into her chest or break through flesh and bones to escape her body.

It was definitely a whole new experience, falling into nothingness… that was what was happening to her; her body descending brokenly into the unknown. She was even unable to open her eyes to see what was happening because the pressure was too strong, and as her body kept dropping, the portal that she just crossed was sucking the air out her lungs until she thought that she was going to pass out.

It was a horrible feeling, but as bad as it felt, the only thing she could think was of Roland going through the same.

He was only four, and the thought of his small body going through the same was making her stomach swirl in apprehension.

Opening her mouth to call for the boy and then closing it with a gasp as her body started to hit a series of cutting objects, Regina was finally able to open her eyes. It took her a moment to get used to the dark and because she was still falling and being hit all through her body, it took her a while to realize that those 'objects' where nothing more than branches.

Reacting quickly as realization that trees only meant that she was close to some kind of ground, the former Queen tried to hold onto one of the branches. She was able to get a hold of one but with the force in which she was falling, it just broke and thus she kept plunging.

She repeated the effort and had the same results, but when she finally reached the ground the impact wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. True, as soon as she hit the bottom her back arched in excruciating pain, breathing seemed like an impossible task and a yelp was stuck down in her throat. But after a few minutes that seemed to have dragged into an eternity, her lungs started to cooperate and she took that first breath that reassured her that yes, she was going to live.

Rolling to her side and fighting against the urge to throw up, Regina looked around. She was in some kind of muddy field, her hand buried into wet soil as darkness crept all around.

Slightly disoriented, she was able to see that there were trees all around, of course, but that was a far as she could figure out before rolling to her back once again and closing her eyes so that the feeling of uneasiness would subside.

"Roland!"

A voice that she knew too well echoed all around and all her senses started to tingle. She needed to get up and help Robin find Roland… that's why she jumped into the portal so she needed to do it, but somehow she couldn't gather the strength to get up.

"Roland!"

Blinking her eyes open, she heard Robin approach and before she could even manage to move a limb, the man grabbed her shoulders and made her sit up.

"Regina… are you alright?" He asked quickly in his thick accent, his hands reaching up to cup her chin to make her look at him.

"I'm fine." Nodding while staring straight into the blue of the man's stare, the dark-haired woman noticed that he was basically covered in mud head to toe and she wondered if she was in that same predicament.

She probably was… but for the moment that wasn't important.

"Why did you jump, you foolish woman?" He asked, his tone indecipherable as he helped her to her feet. Once up he ran his hands down her sides as if to check that she was uninjured and once he was satisfied that she was indeed fine and in one piece, he turned from her and without waiting for a reply he continued to search for his son.

Regina watched him for a while, and then breaking out from her trance she started calling for Roland too.

Together, they walked all around the field and beyond calling for the boy but they had no luck; Roland was nowhere to be found and there wasn't even a clue that indicated that he has ever been there.

"He's not here." Regina said at last, and when she saw that Robin stopped calling for his son and was now walking towards her she anticipated and outburst from his part.

Yes, she could clearly remember the way he looked at her when Little John told them that Roland had jumped into a portal and she was sure that he was blaming her. He would probably reproach her or worse, accuse her of opening the wrong portal… thing that she feared she just did.

Oh but she warned him… right before she opened the portal she told him that jumping into the drawing could be unstable, that they could ended up anywhere.

She wasn't sure if that was what happened, all she knew was that if Roland was there, they would have found him long ago.

Clenching her jaw and lifting her head in advance to the reproaches, Regina blinked a few times, and when Robin was finally a few steps away from her, she swallowed on dry.

"I need to find him." His voice, even though firm carried a hint of desperation and Regina felt for him.

She has been out of her mind when Henry was taken to Neverland so she could relate to the anguish he was feeling. And with Roland being so young…

"He's all I have left and I can't lose him… not like this."

Pushing the inside of her teeth with her tongue, Regina nodded. "We'll find him… we just need…" Taking in a deep breath, she inserted her hand into the pocket of her coat and took out a piece of enchanted chalk. "Help me find something dry."

Moving her eyes from him, Regina swirled on her feet and started scanning around. But unfortunately, everything was wet and what she needed was a hard surface that was dry so that she could try something that just occurred to her.

Finding such a thing proved to be almost as hard as finding Roland, but when Robin came with a small log that was dry enough, a flame of hope lighted up her path.

"Will this do?"

"It will have to." She said, walking to him as he placed it on the ground.

Inspecting it, she decided that it was good enough so going down on her knees, she used the chalk to draw a circle over the clean surface. After that, she waved a hand over it and where the circle has been made, a mirror appeared.

"If he is here, we may be able to see him." She said before he could ask anything and after a few seconds, an image started to form.

"That's him…"

Robin said almost incredulous as the mirror showed the boy sitting in some kind of room while looking absent mindedly out the window. He was even eating and apple and Regina let out a sigh of relief.

"Roland?"

Through the mirror, Roland's face jerked to the side and he smiled brightly. "Papa?"

"By the Gods, Roland where are you?" The relief was palpable in Robin's voice and without even realizing that she was doing it, she reached for his hand and gave him a light squeeze.

Robin never looked at her but he turned his palm towards her touch grabbed her hand in his, his fingers lacing with hers and a way that left her half disconcerted.

Still smiling and looking around searching for his father, the boy shrugged. "I don't know, but it's nice here. There are no trolls."

"Are you alright?" Regina asked, trying not to think too much on the way the man's much larger hand was taking over hers as the boy giggled.

"Regina, where are you? I can't see you."

"Listen Roland, we are going to go and get you, but we need to know where you are first. Can you tell us your whereabouts?"

Looking out the window, he giggled. "I'm by the lake."

"Good… just stay there and we'll get to you. Are you alright?"

Nodding and showing a full dimple smile, he blinked. "I am, it's you who needs to watch for the rain."

As if in cue, a light drizzle started to fall upon them and the image started to get distorted. Roland just waved and went to stare out the window once more. And then, the image was gone.

Pulling her hand from his, Regina grabbed for the chalk and guarded it safe into her pocket while getting to her feet. Robin did the same, and as they both got up the rain increased in an exaggerated manner.

"Great." Regina mumbled as the rain, like sharp needles started to mortify her flesh.

"Come on." Saying that, Robin grabbed her hand once again and pulled at it so that she would follow him.

Regina walked after him blindly, letting him guide her through the darkness to an unknown destination. After a while, he stopped and before Regina could lift her head to take a look at where they were, she felt him pulling her down to the ground.

"What are you doing?" She asked as he basically forced her to sit down on wet mud.

"Well I'm trying to look for some kind of shelter so bear with me." He replied in a cutting tone, pulling her close to him as he rested his back against the trunk of a tree.

Running her tongue against the edge of her teeth, Regina leaned into him, feeling very aware that her entire side was resting against him as she sat between his legs. Now, in that position, she was basically forced to stare at the tattoo on his wrist and shaking her head, she was determined that the first thing in her agenda when going back to her own reality was going to be murdering certain fairy.

"So much of a shelter… I'm still getting soaked." True, it wasn't as bad as it could be but under the circumstances she was sure that complaining was the best action to take.

"I am too so I don't know, I'm open to suggestions, you know." Robin said and rolling her eyes, Regina lifted a finger and out of thin air she created a tent that would shelter them.

"There."

"Do you fix everything with magic?" He asked nonchalantly, pulling her even closer because even thought they were now safe from the rain, they were still soaked to the bone and cold enough to be trembling.

"Basically? Yes." Clenching her teeth to keep them from chattering, Regina frowned as she felt his hands rubbing arms and back. It was probably to create some sense of warmth so she let it pass.

"Thanks for helping me with Roland. I wouldn't have been able to do that thing you did… whatever it was."

Biting on her tongue, Regina closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. It was an awkward position, but in that way she was able to absorb some of his body heat to help ease the trembling. It wasn't enough though so using magic again, she dried up both their clothes and snuggled against him even more. "Thank me when we find him."

As she said that, she could feel his chest rising and falling with his breathing and she was even sure that she could hear his heart beating steadily inside of him. With that soothing sound, she unwillingly fell asleep so that much to her future dismay, nightmares of days gone by could invade her mind…

XxXxXxX

The night was full of whispers. Not only could he listen to them but he could also feel them, brushing coldly against his skin as the wind blew them to faraway lands.

Now these whispers… they spoke to him in a thousand languages, and as he drew in and out of the light slumber that wanted to claim him as its latest victim, he just couldn't understand them. At times it just felt as if they were calling for him and in more than one instance he has woken up startled, the name of his son rolling out of his tongue and his heart beating excruciatingly hard against his chest.

For every time that happened, a sharp pain would take over his entire right side and he would have to bite his tongue and hold his breath until it passed. True, the pain never got away entirely, especially now that the adrenaline rush that made him overlook the wound when he fell through the portal wore off, but at least he has managed to dwindle down the discomfort.

It was in those moments, as he sat worried, disoriented and wounded that he tried to make sense of what was happening; but exhausted and cold as he was feeling, he couldn't put his mind to work properly.

His mind was a mess, of that there was no doubt, but messy as it was, there was always a constant taking over and that was Roland. Roland alone in a strange world… Roland opening a portal with magic and Roland being possibly hungry, scared and waiting for him to find him… thinking about all that was preventing him to fully fall asleep so there he was, somewhere between being awake and asleep while waiting for the first rays of lights so that he could continue the search of his son.

But the night… it seemed to be dragging slowly towards eternity and it was making him feel anxious.

Placing a hand flat on the ground and trying to steady himself, Robin hissed under his breath and managed nothing. He felt too weak to move, and adding the extra weight resting peacefully against his chest wasn't making it easier.

Clenching his jaw due to the new wave of pain that washed over him when he tried to move, Robin opened his eyes and focused them in the woman sleeping against him.

Now, Regina… there was another thing to occupy his mind…

If truth be told, he had to admit that he didn't know what to make of her. She was a complete enigma to him, at times making him as angry as no other woman could and then surprising him by doing something completely uncharacteristic. Take what she did earlier… he never truly believed that she was going to jump after him through the portal so when he realized that she did he has been taken aback.

And he was glad that she did, because even though it bothered him that it was probably because of her that Roland found out how to use a portal, he also had to admit that if it wasn't for Regina he would be searching for his four year old boy blindly.

At least she has managed to appease his worry a little by showing him that the boy was fine and that was something that he appreciated to no end.

Blinking slowly, he allowed his eyes to move over her face and he drank freely from her image, thinking that observing her sleep, with her delicate features looking so serene made it hard to associate her with the imperious woman that once ruled the Enchanted Forest.

It was just hard to imagine her capable of so many atrocities…

But as he was little by little finding out, Evil Queen or not, Regina was definitely more than what people made of her. That she was hard and haughty there was no doubt, but he has seen glimpses of her that talked a whole different story… he has seen a vulnerability that she wanted to hide at all cost and he has seen a person that would put other's needs before her own without hesitating.

For instance, she didn't have to jump with him, she could have easily let them be and go ahead and look for her own son instead.

But she didn't, and that she was there with him both intrigued him and amazed him.

All of her did… whether he wanted it or not.

Clenching his jaw and lowering his eyes, he rested the blue orbs on her full lips. They looked soft and inviting and despite everything, he couldn't help but to remember how they felt against his own.

Not that he should be thinking about that, but still…

Lifting his free hand to her face, he allowed his thumb to run smoothly against her cheek. It went down to the corner of her mouth and then back up. That right there made Regina frown in her sleep and Robin desisted on the touch.

He didn't want to disturb her, but soon after that first frown she scrunched her nose and mumbled something under her breath that sounded as a no.

Keeping his eyes on her, he watched as her frown got more pronounced, her face going from serene to disturbed.

"No." She said more clearly and her hand shot up to press hard against his chest. Once there it pushed at him insistently and then it went up to his throat, her nails digging harshly into his skin.

"Regina." Robin hissed, grabbing her hand and holding her secure in his so it wouldn't do any kind of damage. But instead of making her stop it made her gasp brokenly and she used her other hand to hit him hard on his jaw.

"No… please, don't." Her voice came out unusually low and he blinked a couple of times while watching her.

"Hey." Feeling a little lost but assuming that she was having some kind of dream, he used all the strength left in him and grabbed her by the shoulders to shake her a little. The movement sent a pang of pain through his side but he tried to ignore it as best as he could. "It's me, it's just me."

That right there made her open her eyes wide and wild and after staring at him for a couple of seconds, she exhaled and closed them again.

"Are you alright?"

Instead of answering, Regina pushed away from him and without uttering a word she crawled out of the shelter she magically created and headed out into the rain.

Sucking in a breath and holding his side with one arm, he winced. Up until now he has been trying to avoid looking or thinking on the pain the wound was causing, but now that Regina was gone he dared looking at it only to find out that there was blood all over his garment.

He wasn't surprised though, at moments during the night his nose had caught the distinct smell of fresh blood and he tried to remember when and how had such a thing happened.

It probably was when he was falling through the portal.

Swallowing on dry, he gathered all his remaining strength and got out of the shelter. It caused a whole deal of discomfort, especially when the bitter cold of the rain hit his skin, but he managed as he could and with his jaw painfully clenched he walked towards Regina.

She was just standing in the middle of the nothingness they happened to be in; eyes closed, face upturned towards the sky and getting drenched to the bone once more.

She looked more than a little disturbed and he wondered what kind of dream disrupted her sleep in such a manner. Whatever it was had clearly upset her and now she was trying to recover as she only knew how, by lifting a huge wall between her and the rest of the world.

It was taking some effort, he noticed… and once again he wondered.

"Regina?"

At the sound of her name being called she did and said nothing and Robin remained where he was, his entire right side throbbing in pain while he bit hard on the inside of his cheek.

"The sun is coming up. We should start looking for Roland." She said at last, her voice coming out as throaty and not as calm as she probably wanted it to sound.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She spat and he nodded, wiping water out of his eyes as he kept watching her.

It wasn't until she decided to finally open her eyes and turn to him that she finally spoke again.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Trying to breathe normally instead of letting the pain take over, Robin shrugged; and when she put her feet in motion and headed towards him he just watched.

"What happened?" She asked again, apparently feeling a bit more composed.

Without waiting for a reply, she took the liberty of easing his shirt out of his pants and without wasting any time she lifted it up to check on his wound.

"It's just a little scratch." He mumbled through clenched teeth when her fingers touched close to the source of his pain.

At his words, she looked at him right in the eye and with her mouth parted as if she was about to say something, she shook her head no. "A little scratch, how stupid do you really get? Get back in the tent."

Blowing out a breath, he did as she commanded, going back to the shelter and sitting when she motioned him to do so.

Once there he saw as she swirled her wrist a couple of times to create out of nowhere a bottle of a clear liquid and a cloth. Once in her hand, she poured the liquid in the cloth and turned to him.

"Is it that bad?" He asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Not really; but it has apparently made you lose quite a good amount of blood and it could have easily gotten infected. Take the shirt off."

Running his tongue over the edge of his teeth, he started doing as she said, but the truth was that the effort of taking off the shirt was a huge burden and after seeing him struggle, she went ahead and helped him.

"Just a little scratch." She hummed and before Robin could reply to that, she pressed the cloth to the wound.

Hissing and then holding on his breath, Robin closed his eyes tight shut and waited for Regina to be over. In the meanwhile, he had no other choice than swallowing down the complain that wanted to break pass his lips as he didn't want to voice out the discomfort, choosing instead on bearing silently as she cleaned his wound.

"Stay still."

"I am still." He said through clenched teeth while opening his eyes.

Regina arched an eyebrow and pouted her lips and Robin took that moment to allow his eyes to move freely along her face. It wasn't the first time he did that in the past hour or so but for some reason, it felt way different now that she was awake.

"You are soaked." He said and before being unable to stop himself, he lifted a hand and brushed with a knuckle a drop of water that was sliding down her cheek, then he brushed her hair behind her ear.

What he did made her chocolate warm eyes move to his for a second, but as their gaze meet she looked back down and went on with what she was doing.

Robin observed her, wondering and then deciding that asking her about her dream would only make her draw away.

"I want to start looking for Roland again." He said and Regina's eyes went back to look into his.

"Do you think you can, with this?"

Without ceasing to look into her gaze, Robin shook his head. "It's not like I have a choice. I don't like him being here on his own a minute longer."

Nodding, Regina parted her lips and blew out a breath. "Roland is a very special kid… I'm sure he'll be alright if you get a little strength before starting back on your search."

"He's four, Regina, and he's here alone. I don't… I can't wait."

"Fine." She said, finally breaking away from his stare so that she could patch up his wound. "But at least let's wait until we can get a bit of more light. It doesn't look like the rain will stop but we'll have to work with what he have."

Once she was done with him, Robin took the opportunity to take a longer look at her. She has taken her coat off and was now in a short-sleeve black shirt that was clinging to her as a second skin. It accentuated her female form down to her slim waist and the man with the lion tattoo couldn't help but to let his eyes linger more than it was necessary; but then he shook off the curiosity and focused on her face once again.

"You know, I never said it but thanks for helping with Roland yesterday. The assistance is more than welcome, especially since you could have easily gone to look for your son instead."

Her lips curved into half a smile, but in Robin's eyes it was a bitter one. "I… think that Henry is perfectly fine without me, he doesn't need me or want me so…" She shrugged and probably without even realizing it, rested a hand against his ribcage.

It was only for a second, because then she dragged her fingers near the wound and smoothed the edges of the patch.

"Roland on the other hand, he's just four as you said and he has this amazing power in him that he is just learning to control and I couldn't turn my back on him."

"Power?"

Blinking a few times before letting her eyes rest on his, Regina went on. "He does, I don't think you were aware of it but he knows how to use magic and not because I showed him."

Snorting, Robin closed his eyes and tried to digest that. His Roland using magic? He just couldn't picture it in his mind; sure, he always knew the boy was special but… magic? And yes, he has seen strange things happen around him since the Curse, but he always assumed that it was because they were in the Dark One's castle and the air was filled with the memory of magic.

"I don't know, but I suddenly feel like the worst father ever. How come I didn't see this coming?" And really, how come?

"You are a good father. Well… at least Roland loves you."

Opening his eyes, Robin cleared his throat. "I'm sure Henry loves you and hasn't forgotten about you."

Snorting, Regina arched an eyebrow and quirked her lips. She said nothing though and Robin sensed that the subject filled her with something resembling sorrow so he tried to alleviate her mood.

"Whatever the case, I'm glad you decided to stick with us a while longer. It's clearly that Roland has taken a liking to you and to be completely honest, so do I."

The corner of Regina's lips curled and she looked away. Robin could almost see her putting the wall between them and he tried to reach to her before she could shut him out completely because sure, maybe this was not the moment, but if there was something he knew was that he liked her.

True, it was something he has tried to put in the back of his head but after that last kiss, it has been impossible for him not to think of her in more than a friendly manner.

She probably felt something similar, otherwise she wouldn't have let him kiss her and instead would have turned him to stone for daring such a thing.

But she didn't, in fact she has kind of reciprocated the kiss and that only made it clear to him that she wasn't completely immune to him. She was just better at hiding it.

So, when he read her intentions of getting to her feet to draw away, he took hold of her chin and tilted his head to the side. "Why are you so afraid of me?"

"Afraid? I am not afraid of you."

"Sure you are."

As he said that, she arched an eyebrow and shook her head. "Why would I be afraid of you? I'm the Queen, you are a thief… so no, afraid is barely the word I would use here."

"And what would that word be?"

"There's no word, well maybe indifference so there you go."

With that she flashed him a scornful smirk and then gracefully fixed her hair behind her ear.

"Indifferent and yet you kissed me."

Lifting her face defiantly towards him, she breathed out. "Oh, you mean that." Her tone came out in full disdain mode. "Well the only thing I can say is that you make too much out of a simple kiss. It didn't mean anything."

Humming, he smiled and because he still had a grip on her chin, he pulled her closer and kissed her full on the lips. It was a brief contact that she repelled at once by pulling away.

"What do you think you are doing?" She said and not necessarily in a harsh tone. It came a bit indignant, but nothing that would worry him.

"Nothing, a simple kiss… you know, since it doesn't mean anything. Oh but next time I kiss you, that one _will_ mean something."

Opening her mouth to speak, Regina's eyes went a little wide. "And what makes you think there will be a next time?"

"This." He said and before she could reply, he grabbed the back of her head and pulling her close, he kissed her again, this time adding a bit of pressure into the contact.

Now, instead of pulling away immediately as he thought she was going to do, Regina placed both hands to his shoulders and breathed into the moment and a response, he caught her bottom lip with his and savored the taste of her by running the tip of his tongue to her lip.

Now, it wasn't the best moment to do this, Robin knew it, after all Roland was missing, a dull pain has taken residence in his right side and things were just too messy, so trying to force some senses into his skull, he broke away and looked down on her.

He has meant to apologize, but when she lifted her face to his and pressed her mouth back to his, he lost the little senses he has recuperated and he just kissed her back.

It happened slowly, they shared a few open kisses and before he knew it, his tongue was brushing against hers. Feeling motivated, he grabbed her face and sneaked into her mouth, his tongue dancing against her own while his hands moved down to her waist so he could pull her closer to him.

The effort of doing so caused him a good deal of pain but at the moment he deemed that to be secondary. More so when her response was more than satisfactory; she was kissing him back, one hand settling at the nape of his neck and the other one sliding to his left side.

From her narrow waist, he moved his fingers up her back and she arched against him, letting the kiss grow deeper and hungrier before finally pulling away.

"Let's make something perfectly clear here; I decide if I want to make a kiss mean something or not and right now I don't want them to mean anything. Now if you'll excuse me, the rain cleared off and I want to get out of here before nightfall."

With that said, she slid a hand to his wound and pressed against it. The motion made him gasp and closing his eyes as a protest got stuck down his throat, he heard her walking out.

He remained like that for a few seconds, but when the pain faded to a dull throb he couldn't wait to snort. Regina… what was he going to do with that woman?

Shaking his head and grabbing for his shirt, he decided to go after her because if anything, she was right in something, they needed to find Roland and if they did it before nightfall, the better…


	11. Chapter 11

"You have to be kidding me." Halting in her tracks and lifting her hands halfway into the air so that a few drops of water could fall against her open palms, the raven haired woman infamously known as The Evil Queen said in a tone of voice that came out sounding both incredulous and annoyed. "Rain, again?"

Pressing the tip of her tongue against her parted lips, she allowed an exaggerated sigh to escape her and then, tilting her head up she closed her eyes.

Yes, what was starting to fall on her was definitely rain and as it moistened her closed eyelids, she tried to recall the number of times it had started to rain in the past few hours or so.

She wasn't quite sure, but if there was something she knew was that it all started the previous evening; it went on through the night and as the day started to progress, it has been coming and going at random intervals. The intensity varied from a light drizzle to a torrential downpour, but overall it has been raining recurrently.

"This is ridiculous." And it really was, because of the constant rain she has spent the day drenched to the bone, all muddy and definitely moody.

"I think we should halt for a while."

Arching an eyebrow at the sound of the familiar voice, Regina clasped her mouth shut and straightened her head so that she could stare forward. She has been waiting for him to say what he just said for hours, after all, the man was in no condition to keep on with his search, but still… "If you don't have it in you to go on, then we shall stop. It's not like we are in a hurry to find your son anyway." She said brazenly while opening her eyes.

At her words, the man emitted a sound that came off between a chuckle and a grunt and Regina rolled her eyes.

Now Robin… if truth must be told, she had to admit that throughout the day she has been going between ignoring the man and trying to push him to his limits and as of yet she hasn't succeeded in taking him to the edge. His suggestion that they should stop for a while was the closest thing to admitting that he couldn't keep on and now that he said it, she found out that it didn't bring her the joy she has been anticipating.

Why would it? After all she has been through the desperation of trying to look for her own child in a strange land and she could only suppose that if he wanted to stop for a search that has been dragging on for hours and hours, it was because he really couldn't go on.

That realization made her feel somewhat guilty, and even though she was still mad at him for getting kissy friendly that morning with her, she ended up looking over her shoulder to check on him.

He was resting his back against the trunk of a tree and because he had his eyes closed, she took a moment to inspect him.

"It will be just a minute." Now drenched as she was, Robin was definitely looking a bit too pale and with his hair all plastered against his head, he barely looked as the annoyingly joyful man that she knew. She also noticed that his fingers were lightly patting close to his wound and she couldn't help but to wonder if he was in too much pain.

"Is it bleeding again?" She asked almost indifferently but she waited expectantly as he opened his eyes and looked down to his side.

He looked for a few seconds and then he lifted his face so that he could stare straight into her eyes. "I don't think so."

Quirking her lips, she looked away so that she could think on what to do. Now, earlier on when the skies momentarily cleared up and the sun started shining bright from above, Regina used the same method as the previous night and drawing the form of a mirror against a dry surface, they communicated with Roland.

The boy has been fine and even though he confessed that he wanted to see his father face to face, he appeared calm and the only worry that she had for the moment was the four year old admitting that he has been feeding on sweets all day long.

Robin had told him that he couldn't do that but because he had said it in his always good nature, Roland just giggled.

Overall, the boy was fine and even though she would hate for him to spend another night by his own, she didn't see any other choice.

"We should stop for the night."

"No, we have a few hours left for night to come."

"And before that happens we must eat something." And change his bandages and rest… maybe even wash up. They had been walking in a weather that went from one extreme to the other in a matter of minutes and other than rain, they had also been chastised by sun and an impossible humidity.

"Alright." He said, then clearing his throat she heard him walking on heavy feet and she had no choice but to turn around to see what he was up to.

"And what the hell do you think you are doing?" She asked when she saw him, bow in hand while walking away.

As if it was the stupidest question ever, Robin turned to her and showed her the phantom of a smile. "Um, I'll go hunt something to eat?"

No, no, no… the man was definitely foolish as he was stubborn. "Yeah, and then we'll start a fire in this rain, excellent idea."

Nodding, Robin clicked his tongue against his cheek. "And what does our beloved Queen of sass suggest?"

Arching an eyebrow, Regina shrugged and with a swirl of her wrist, she made a whole roasted chicken appear. It came with the whole deal, a table, a canopy to shelter them for the rain, potato salad and even a bottle of wine to wash it down. It was the first thing that came into her mind… and there it was.

Chuckling, Robin ran a hand down his face while shaking his head.

"If you want to do it your way then go ahead. But first, let me see your wound."

Walking to him so that she could check on him, she motioned him to take off the shirt and he did. Now the bandage was wet and bloody but when she took it off, she saw that the wound wasn't so bad.

"You are all muddy." Robin said in a low whisper and she automatically looked up and curved her lips into a snarl.

"Yeah well you should look at yourself… or smell for that matter."

Turning around with a forced grimace, Regina used magic once again so that a few essentials could appear and once they were at the table near their dinner, she grabbed for a bar of soap, turned back to him and placed it in his hand.

"I'm pretty sure this is a new concept for you but trust me, it will work. It's called soap and it is used to clean up. Use it. Once you wash up, put this ointment in the wound and don't patch it up, let it breathe and… there are dry clothes you can use too."

Humming, Robin nodded and frowned. "And I'm supposed to wash up in the rain, right here."

"Not right here." She said dryly. "You go that way, and I'll go that way." She said, pointing into the woods. "Now hurry before the food get cold."

"Alright, alright…" He said while looking down. For a moment he remained like that, his tongue pushing against his cheek and his eyes fixed in the muddy ground. But then, when Regina was about to leave herself, he cleared his throat and searched her eyes with his. "Can we… can you contact Roland to check on him? It doesn't have to be now… I just want him to know that I'm still here and that I'll get to him."

Softening her features, Regina nodded. "We'll do that."

"Good." With that said, he turned around and started to walk away. As he did that, Regina couldn't help but to notice that he had a few marks on his back, old wounds apparently inflicted by lashings.

It made her wonder about him and his past for a second, but then she shook her head and left to wash up herself. Robin wasn't her business, not his past, not his present and definitely not his future, but washing up so that she could go and eat was a very pressing matter.

With that in mind, she hurried into the forest and washed as best as she could under the circumstances. Once done, she made it back to the canopy to find that Robin was already sitting at the table; clean and not looking quite as pale. He wasn't eating though, and for some reason she was almost sure that he was waiting for her.

"These are definitely some weird clothes." He said once he spotted her and Regina arched an eyebrow at him.

Yeah… she didn't think much about it when she made the clothes appear, but now that she considered it, she realized that for someone who has never been out of the Enchanted Forest, jeans and a simple black shirt would definitely look and maybe even feel weird.

He definitely looked different in them.

Without saying a word, Regina sat in the opposite chair and without wasting time in courtesies, she began to eat. Now, she ate in small bites even though the smell of the food invading her system made her realized that she was starving and following her lead, Robin began to eat too.

Without saying a word, they both satiated a hunger they hadn't even been aware that they had, at least that was until Robin opened his mouth to break the silence that has taken over the evening.

"I feel like I must apologize for upsetting you this morning."

Slowly swallowing down some of her wine, Regina put up her neutral face and shrugged. "Upsetting me? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." She said with cold indifference even though she was very aware of what he was referring to.

Yes, she knew exactly what he was talking about as he probably knew that the fact that she has been acting all nasty with him all day long was because she was indeed upset because of the kiss.

What he probably didn't know was the motive of why it had bothered her so much…

Tilting his head to the side and delving in her eyes, Robin blew out a breath. "How do you do that? I mean put up this act of indifference to things that clearly affect you. And I'm not talking just about the kiss, I'm talking about everything."

Pushing her tongue hard against her teeth, Regina shrugged again. "What can I say, one of my many charms?"

Narrowing his eyes, Robin kept digging into her brown orbs and Regina refused to look away. "This morning… you were having a bad dream, what was it?"

Tensing a little, Regina's eyes moved from him and as a way to occupy herself, she started to clean up the table with magic. The rest of their dinner disappeared, the wine… even the ointment for Robin's wound fell victim to her spells.

"Let's contact Roland before it gets really late." With that said, she got to her feet and went to her discarded wet clothes to take hold of the chalk. She had guarded it in a small leather pouch so that it wouldn't get wet and once she found it, she returned to the table and drew a circle and then waved her hand over it.

The image of Roland, this time laying on his side while playing with a toy that closely resembled the one she gave him came into view and she couldn't help but to smile in relief when she saw that he was still alright.

"Roland, hey buddy."

"Papa!" The boy said excitedly while sitting up. "Look what I made." Grabbing the car and placing it in the palm of his hand, he smiled brightly.

"You did that by yourself? Amazing." Robin said in clearly exaggerated amusement and Regina rested her back against the table as she watched him talk to his boy.

"Yes I did! Papa, when are you coming over?"

Chewing on his lips before answering, Robin sighed. "I, we are trying to get to you as soon as possible but… buddy, not even Regina and me can outsmart you. You are too much for us."

Giggling and covering his mouth, Roland jumped. "I am smart."

"You sure are. Now listen, are you still in the house you told us by the lake?"

"Yes." He replied proudly. "And I ate like Regina told me and… and… I've been good."

"I know, just don't move from there alright?"

"Alright, but Papa, I want you to sing to me."

Chuckling, Robin patted his lips and then made as if he was considering it. "Will you go to sleep if I do?"

Nodding, Roland lay down into what appeared to be a bed and smiled his dimples into view. Then he shut his eyes tight shut and with a puffing sound making her startle, an instrument that closely resembled a guitar appeared in Robin's lap.

"How…" He started to say as he quickly looked at her.

On her part, Regina shook her head as if indicating him that she wasn't the one doing magic this time and for a few consecutive seconds, they did nothing but stare into each other's eyes.

She could almost read the questions in his eyes but because she didn't know the answers, she said nothing.

"Sing, Papa." Roland said with a yawn and blinking his eyes away from hers, Robin accommodated the instrument over one of his knees. Once there he tested the strings, and then without any more preambles, he started to play it.

At first, he just played the instrument, his fingers expertly strumming the chords as Regina watched him get in full concentrating mode. By then the rain was nothing but a light drizzle and enjoying how the air was carrying the smell of rain all around her even though, the black haired closed her eyes and listened.

That's when he started singing, his voice low and steady telling the tale of a lost love. It was a sorrowful song and Regina didn't think it was lullaby material, but at the same time she found the beauty in it and as it turned out, he had the perfect melodic voice for it.

Who would have known?

Opening her soft brown orbs once more, she listened to him while a cold breeze was sweeping all around her, carrying some mist and making it dance in front of her eyes. A few drops fell on her, the rest kept moving away to disappear in the distance, leaving both of them behind.

Fixing her eyes into the distance, Regina ran the palm of her hands against her arms, hoping that the friction would provide her with some warmth, it worked, and as he sang, she listened.

Now the song made her once again wonder about his past and as much as she wanted to prevented it, it made her think of her own…

But because she didn't want to be invaded by ghosts of her past, she got up from the chair and without saying a word she magically created a tent and disappeared inside. In there she covered herself from head to toe and tried to put her mind in blank.

It was hard to though, and as she lay there she came to realize how lonely she was… how lonely she has always been. While she had Henry, she had the illusion of having someone there for her but as it turned out, that didn't last long.

Maybe that was the reason why she jumped after Roland without thinking, because she was afraid of going back home only to find out that Henry was as happy as he has never been with her. Actually, just to think about that possibility terrified her and realizing that made her feel a deep void in her heart that would never be filled.

It was her fault though, if she hadn't ran away from Robin that first time so long ago, maybe things would have been different. But then again, if she would have gone to him she would have never come to cast the Dark Curse and because of that, Henry wouldn't have been born and she wouldn't have meet him and let alone raise him.

So not, she couldn't regret not going to Robin that first time when Tinker Bell used pixie dust to find him because Henry came out as a the result of her cowardice; but because of that it was now what it was; she didn't have Henry, she definitely didn't have her soul mate and she was just the same ol' Regina. Alone and bitter and hiding from things she would rather avoid to face.

Wiping her eyes angrily to prevent any tear to fall, Regina swallowed on dry and tried to drift off… dwelling in the past was a long journey that lead nowhere so it was best if she didn't even think about it.

But before she could succeed in falling into a deep slumber, Robin walked into the tent and as if he had any right to, he took the comforter off of her and exposed her. "Hey, are you alright?"

He looked genuinely concerned and that did nothing to help matters. So, because it was the only way she knew how to face things, she snarled her lips and arched an eyebrow proudly. "I was, until you came here waking me up."

Blinking a couple of times, he nodded and bit on his lips. "My apologies for disturbing you then, I'll leave now."

Before he could retract from the tent as he clearly intended, Regina sat up and as if she was being possessed by another being, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his warm ones.

The act momentarily took him aback and in case he would want to pull away, she placed a hand to the nape of his neck and held him in place; not that it was necessary, because soon after he took control of the situation and moved his hand to her head so that he could run his fingers through her hair. Then he parted a way into her mouth so that he could be granted unlimited access to explore.

Sighing against his lips, Regina allowed his tongue to seek hers, letting it swirl around while trying to coax her to respond. But before she could reciprocate with the same treatment, he pulled away and looked deep into her eyes. "And why is this for?"

"I don't know." She breathed out before searching for his lips to kiss once again.

Moving his fingers from her hair to her back, Robin kissed her long and deep, their breaths mingling as one and then, before she could even ask herself what was she doing, she felt herself lifting a little so that she could straddle him.

If it surprised him, he didn't let it show, and if the movement caused some discomfort because of his wound, he didn't complain. All Robin did was allow his hand to wander down her side, reaching the edge of her shirt so that it could sneak underneath it.

Now, even though his touch was gentle and only limited to run slowly down and then up her spine, it still felt as if the pad of his fingers were made out of electricity and she couldn't help but to arch into him.

That right there made him kiss her harder, and as he stole the air from her lungs with his kiss, he swirled her around so that now he was the one on top of her and right between her legs.

Maybe this was what she needed… maybe it was what she wanted, or maybe she would come to regret it later on. But whatever the cause or the consequences, she lifted her hips into him, feeling a delicious tremor run through her as his arousal pressed against her heated groin.

"Regina…" He breathed out against her lips. "If this is not what you want, I suggest we stop now."

Looking into his eyes, she reached for the edge of his shirt and being careful not to hurt him, she took it off. Then, seeking for his lips so that he wouldn't try to put some senses into her, she started kissing him once again and almost as if her kiss granted him permission, his hand started to roam freely beneath her shirt.

He explored at will, making her melt under his touch until he helped himself and took the offending piece away. From there, things started to move fast… too fast. But as it turned out, it wasn't as if she could help it. The feeling of his bare skin fusing with hers was more than pleasant and the heat of his body passing through her was starting to make her feel delirious.

Letting the moment drag her down, she allowed her hand to slide down his back and to his pants and even though she couldn't quite believe that she was doing that, she started to push them down and away.

Not that he seemed to mind and in fact, he even helped her dispose of the rest of his clothes and then, he started helping her undress as well.

It was all happening too fast; she understood that when she felt the very essence of his masculinity pressing insistently against her wetness and waiting for entrance, and entrance that she was offering right there, right now.

But he didn't take it; he just remained still for a while as he throbbed against her, his eyes roaming her face as she started intently into his blue orbs. "Gods, you must hear this all the time but you are so beautiful."

Now, for some reason, those words took Regina aback, and as his eyes delved deep into hers she realized that there was no turning back from this.

That was how there, as the rain started to pour outside their tent and as the night fell on them, she gave into desire. She let go of all fear and inhibition and between moans and swallowed gasps, she surrendered herself to him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 15

Regina was trembling; the soft breeze sneaking through the crevices of the shelter was carrying some of the piercing cold from outside and it was settling it inside, making it brush all over her like algid fingers that wanted nothing more than chastise her exposed skin.

She was struggling to remain still, but the cold has become unbearable and all she could do was tremble under its unmerciful intensity.

Needless to say, she couldn't sleep.

But the cold was not the only factor that was keeping her awake; that other factor, the one that has prevented sleep to carry her away long before the chills started to invade her was the man sleeping behind her… or maybe not the man himself, but the memory of the night they just shared.

It was unbelievable, but somehow he has taken over her subconscious and every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the blue intensity of his stare digging into hers, all she could feel was his touch making her skin vibrate… and then, even with her eyes open she could still feel him… after all he was right behind her, one arm resting in the curve of her waist while his chest pressed against her back.

It just felt like… well it was a strange feeling, one that she couldn't quite decipher because she plain and simple has never felt like that in the aftermatch of laying with someone.

No, with Daniel she hadn't done more than sharing a few kisses so there was not much room for comparison; then there were her 'encounters' with the King and of that she could only say that they did nothing but provoke her to feel sick to her stomach and used and then it was Graham, who even though nice, always made her feel empty.

But Robin… she still couldn't find the right words, but after being with him all she could say was that it felt as if she has been dormant for a whole eternity and then he came to wake her up so that she could live.

It was cheesy and definitely something The Charming fools would say but it was what it was… what he has made of her, and now even in his sleep he was not allowing her time and space to clear her thoughts, to analyze things.

But if she would have to be completely honest, she didn't really want to go through her extensive overanalyzing process. She couldn't do too much thinking so early in the morning without a nice dose of caffeine and God knew she has been denied that simple pleasure for far too long.

Because of that, her thoughts were a bit impaired and thus why she was having such silly occurrences. That's why she has tried to sleep everything off and allow Morpheus to take over, so that she wouldn't have to think; but for the longest time she only managed to doze off, to go in and out of a light sleep that has left her even more restless and thoughtful…

And the more she thought about it the less she could wrap her mind to it; she simply didn't know what got into her, why she let herself be carried away in the moment.

It was not like her to give in like that so she just didn't know.

Closing her eyes and still thinking about it all, she sighed; she was still trembling and it came into her mind that if it wasn't for the fact that it was still raining outside and that it must be freezing cold, she would get out of there and take a walk to organize my thoughts. Maybe she could start early to look for Roland…

But she wasn't going to do that; it was dark and cold and in all honestly, she wanted to stay there, pressed against him while fresh and very vivid memories of the night they shared ran through her head over and over again.

Why bother to shun it all out anyway, she didn't do well with regrets and after all she was sure that once the sun was up and the skies bright, things will look different… better.

"You are trembling."

Regina startled a little when she heard his husky voice coming from behind but because she was trembling so damn much, she was sure he didn't even notice.

The arm that was around her waist pulled her closer to him and then she felt his lips on her shoulder, kissing her lightly, almost an imperceptible caress.

"I'm cold." She whispered through clenched teeth.

Humming, Robin moved his lips up to her neck and inhaled deeply. "Come here." Then he made her turn around and with smooth ease he pulled her on top of him, wrapping his arms around her while her head came to rest into the curve of his neck.

"Your wound." Regina said, noticing how detached and cold her voice came out. It was almost enough to make her cringe because it wasn't how she has meant it to sound.

"It's fine."

For a while they remained like that, her lean body molding to his while a comfortable silence started to dance around them.

Now, the truth was that Regina has been expecting a sense of awkwardness to take over her once they were both awake, but there was none of that. Instead she found it quite nice and she just clung to him while he offered the warmth her body was lacking.

So there, helpless in his embrace, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, absorbing the moment because she really didn't know how long it was going to last.

The silence between them continued, and if his fingers wouldn't be tracing lazy patterns along her spine, Regina would say that he went back to sleep. But he wasn't asleep; he was very much awake and just like her, she didn't think that he would go to sleep any time soon.

Licking her lips, her hand moved down to rest against his chest and she just let it lay there, feeling the steady beating of his heart against the palm of her hand. It felt weird and yet comforting to feel that… to have him holding her like that, touching her like that… to feel the rise and fall of his chest against hers as he breathed.

As she mused about that, a cold breeze swept around them and sent a small shiver run up her spine.

At that, his fingers stopped their light caresses and he started rubbing his hands through the length of her back. "Better?" He asked while he kept warming her up, the movements of his hands on her making her rock against him.

"Much better." She admitted with a sigh, suddenly realizing that her lips are almost brushing against the skin between his neck and his shoulder.

It made her wonder what he would think if she just pressed her lips there, if she kissed that spot.

"Well I've heard that the best way to keep warm was cuddling naked."

Smiling, Regina opened her eyes and arched an eyebrow. "Really, well how convenient."

Shifting underneath her, Robin positioned himself in a way so that Regina could feel his hardness pressing against her and this time, the shiver that ran through her had nothing to do with the cold breeze swirling around.

"Of course, there are other methods, but those are reserved for extreme cases, like when severe shaking is involved and you are desperately trying not to freeze your arse off."

"Oh is that so?" She asked as she felt his hands slowly sliding down her back and to her bottom, settling there and pulling her firmly to him.

Regina just allowed him to do that, giving him free reign as she felt how he was just a push away of sliding into her… again.

"Mmhmm, but I don't recommend it unless it's highly necessary." His hands were still in place, kneading softly and way too intimately, but still, he made no attempt to go further.

"Because it's dangerous?"

"No." His voice was a slight caress against her shoulder and she couldn't help but to swallow hard and take a deep breath. "Because I've heard it's addictive and then you will want it all the time and well, I'm not a heating device, Regina."

At his playful tone, Regina chuckled and as she did that, she couldn't help but to remember that before all of this happened, she used to find all his nonsense annoying. But now that they were there like that, she was kind of finding him charming.

"Don't worry, is not like I'm that cold anyway." Her voice, low and raspy came out as flirty and she wondered what was with her.

"Oh," One of his hands moved up her body and to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair while his other hand remained where it was, running along her flesh as he got familiar with her. Then with the hand that went to her head he gently forced her to look up and into his eyes.

And as his eyes delved deep into hers, she could already feel the events of last night repeating, it was going to be like a cycle she would be doomed to repeat at his will.

"What?" She asked for lack of anything better to say and at her question he just tilted his head a bit to the side as his lips curved into half a smile.

"I just like looking at you."

Chewing on her lips, she blinked. "Why?"

Snorting and moving his eyes through her face, he shrugged. "Because you are stunning, and I don't know, because I'm still having a hard time grasping all _this_ in my mind and looking at you reminds me that it's all very much real."

Quirking her lips and rolling her eyes, Regina breathed deeply. "Panderer, I'm not stunning." True, she didn't think that she was hideous but at the same time she didn't think that she was stunning. She was normal looking… nothing more.

"Are you kidding me?" He snorted again before placing a kiss on her chin. "Even before I lay my eyes on you, I've been hearing tales of your striking beauty and let me tell you, all that talk and whispers don't make justice to the real thing."

Squinting her eyes, Regina moved her hips in such a way that his erection ended up sliding smoothly between her slick folds. It made Robin gasp and she smirked, the feeling of the crown of his hardness breaking into her filling her with anticipation.

"I was told never to trust the word of a man that wanted bed you."

"Well," Robin said, "I do not lie, but I do want to bed you." Gone was the playful tone he was using a few minutes ago; now his voice carried the low undertones of his intentions and his eyes were dark pools of blue that refused to leave hers.

Somehow, all that was rendering her speechless and the intensity of his stare was making her feel swollen and ready for the possibilities he was offering through his eyes.

And through it all she just stared back at him, unable to look away. She never thought she could get enticed like that, so easily… but there she was, and as things were going, that was all it took and before she could do as much as blink, he kissed her and as his lips pressed into her he gave that little push that was keeping her body from fusing with his completely, the push that made them become one once again…

XxXxXxXxX

Already drifting off into a deep slumber, Regina's body jumped involuntary as she heard the distinct sound of the wind howling outside. The sound was accompanied by a duller noise, faint but steady… almost buzzing.

Upon hearing that, her warm chocolate eyes opened at once, trying to focus on something as she scanned the unfamiliar surroundings.

Her efforts to focus were in vain though, because even when she hadn't been fully asleep when the interruption came, her mind was having trouble crawling out of the tranquil state it has been submerged a moment ago.

It was almost as if her brain wasn't reacting as of yet and thus she felt disoriented, the notions of time and space a bit distorted in her mind. Also, the fact that it was pitch black inside wherever she was into and that she couldn't see anything at all wasn't helping matters.

For a second, as her eyes tried to get used to the blackness she felt slightly lost, but then her mind recovered itself from its lethargy and she suddenly remembered where she was. She was in a tent… in a world unknown as she searched for the lost child of Robin Hood.

Ah, and to top all that off, she was also still dwelling in the after match of having sex with said man… twice.

Closing her eyes and letting her cheek rest back over the palm of her hand, the dark haired hummed, wondering why she wasn't feeling Robin's arm circling her waist as it has been a moment ago. As weird as the whole thing should feel, she was missing his warmth and the way his body felt pressed against hers as they both drifted off.

"Robin?" She asked in a faint whisper, but nothing other than silence greeted her back and she had to turn around so her hands could search for him.

But he wasn't there, the space he has been occupying was empty and she could feel nothing but the void his body left behind.

Pursing her lips, she made her hand crawl back over the rumpled fabric of the comforter they had been laying upon, retreating back to her body so she could pull it tighter against her body.

Wondering where the man was, Regina suddenly started to have a bad feeling settling at the pit of her stomach. Where was he? Just a second ago she could feel him breathing against her and now he was gone. Could it be that she has been out for a quite a while without even realizing it?

She wasn't really sure, time was a blurry thing in her mind and in the darkness she couldn't tell if it was still the middle of the night or if dawn has come and because the awful weather it was still dark.

But maybe it wasn't a matter of time and it was all a matter of Robin going back to his senses. Who knew, now that the thrill of the moment dwindled he could have been hit with regrets about what happened and for said reason, he decided to put some distance between them.

She didn't want to think so… not from Robin and especially not after the night they shared; but realistically speaking, who would really want something more out of her than bedding her? She was The Evil Queen, tainted, despised all over and yeah, even though she was sure some men may desire her, that was it. Lust, if anything was the only 'good' thing she provoked out of men and even though, there has never been a line of them trying to court her.

Even the King has wanted nothing out of her other that getting her into his bed and he would use any means necessary to assure that would happen… and then Graham, even though nice and pleasant, only went to her when he needed to be with a woman. Not that she minded much the last one because truth be told, in her never-ending loneliness, sex was the only thing she ever needed out of him.

So no, ever since Daniel, there has never been anyone interested in her in that way…

Well… that was taking Sydney out of the equation but he was another case and other circumstances.

And now it was Robin… her supposedly soul mate so wouldn't it be awful that he too, only wanted her for a quick fumble in the dark?

Overcome with a weird feeling that she couldn't quite decipher, Regina sat up as she let the comforter that has been covering her nakedness slid down in a puddle around her. She shivered when her exposed skin fell victim to the piercing cold but she tried to bear as best as she could; fumbling around and finding her clothes to put them on.

Once dressed, she still couldn't see any source of light whatsoever and she was hesitant about getting out. But needing to know why she woke up alone middle of the night she ignored the feeling and began moving tentatively until she was outside.

And wow, as soon as she stepped out of the tent, the temperature dropped like ten degrees and for a second she wondered if it was better if she remained inside.

Folding her arms to her chest, Regina looked around; it was still dark, probably right before dawn, but at least the skies had cleared up and she could see a full moon shining from above and thus, providing a nice source of light.

It was because of the moonlight that she saw him, sitting by the table she made appear the previous night as he stared absentmindedly at the guitar. So yes, he was there, but his mind seemed to be a thousand miles away and once again, she wondered if it would be best to go back into the tent and forget all about it.

It would be easy, she just had to lift her walls, ignore him and treat him like dirt and it would be _her_ giving him the cold shoulder… easy as that.

But… she didn't want that; she was so tired of that, of being like that. So with that in mind and taking in a deep breath, she braced herself for what it could be coming her way and with secure steps, she walked to him.

"Isn't it too cold to be out here?" She asked and by the Gods, it took all of her effort to make it sound casual and easy going.

She probably made a lousy work of it though, as she could feel her teeth clenching and her tone came off as bitter.

Lifting his head so he could take a look at her, Robin smiled. It was an actual smile that reached the blue of his eyes and feeling a bit reassured, she let go of a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

Maybe everything was alright after all, and truth be told she wasn't sure if that scared her more than the possibility of Robin all of a sudden wanting nothing out of her.

"And what are you doing out of bed? I mean if I remember right, I left you warm and cozy in there."

Shrugging in what she hoped was an indifferent way, she arched an eyebrow. She didn't say anything though, but when he extended his arms and motioned her to go to him, she did.

Once close to him, she tried to clear her mind of any doubt or fear from her part and instead she let him wrap his arms around her as he kissed her shoulder.

Deep inside, she was almost sure where she stood and where she wanted to stay, she only needed to know about his stance.

"Why are you out here?" She ended up asking because for better or for worse, if it concerned her, she wanted to know.

Dragging his lips farther up, Robin traced a warm trail of kisses from her shoulder to the spot right below her ear and at the sensation, she couldn't help but to tremble. "I needed to clear my mind about certain things and well, with you lying there naked, thinking is a hard thing to achieve."

Despite the worries invading her mind, Regina hummed, snuggling closer to him so she could rest her chin over his shoulder. "Thinking about what?"

Sighing, Robin ran his hands down her back. "The other day you said that Roland had magic… I saw it myself when he made this guitar appear so I was wondering… if he has this power… can't he just use if to come to me? I don't know, maybe he can just appear here if I tell him to."

Blinking slowly, Regina shook her head. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Roland is… a wonderful kid with an amazing gift but he is yet to learn so many things. You see, magic is powered by emotion and his is yet untamed and volatile. I wouldn't risk it as one thing is to conjure an object and a very different one to teleport." No, if Roland tried teleporting by himself, he could end up anywhere or who knew what other horrible thing could happen to him.

"I see." He puffed out in a breath while pressing his lips to her hair. "You know, I was also wondering how come he has magic? I just don't get it."

"Well you were living in The Dark One's castle and Roland is a curious little one." She thought about it and then shrugged. "Maybe he found something that prompted him to learn or maybe he was born with it and being there just made it come to life. All I know is that Rumplestiltskin was the one that taught me everything I know about magic so who knows… but we'll find him, I'm sure we will."

"I know." Settling his hands on her hips and pulling her a bit closer, Robin clicked his tongue to his cheek. "You know what else I was thinking about?"

"What?"

"I was thinking about this raven-black haired beauty that has me entranced."

Humming, Regina arched an eyebrow and quirked her lips. "And what was it that you were thinking about _this_ woman?"

"Oh not much," He said in a voice so low and raspy that Regina couldn't help but to remember the way he had talked to her as he moved within her earlier on. "Just that I like her more than I probably should and that she is a very, very good kisser… among other things. Especially when naked." He ended the sentence with a sing-a-like tone and unable to help it, Regina laughed at out loud.

Now, surprised with the sudden outburst, she buried her face to his chest and bit on her lips.

Grabbing her face and making her look at him, Robin angled his face towards her and his eyes stared deep into her own brown orbs. "Hey, don't laugh, this is a very serious matter."

After those words, Regina just looked back into his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Well here's what I think, men tend to like women the most when they are naked and in kissing terms so…"

"Oh, I know, but this woman, even though tempting and lovely when naked, that's not what I like the most about her. You see, this woman likes to put on a tough exterior for everyone, including me, but there are times when she lets those walls around her shake a little and those are the moments I like the most. Her laughter is my favorite sneak peek into her so far, but I'm still waiting for those walls to crumble all the way down so I can see more of her."

Feeling her heart flutter, Regina looked down and pouted her lips. "Maybe you are seeing a wall where there is none, because I'm sure she has allowed you to see more of her than she has anyone else."

Robin didn't respond at that and she couldn't help but to wonder how the tune of their conversation changed so drastically. One minute he was playfully teasing her and now this.

"But… wall or not, I think she likes you more than you imagine." There, she lay it out… sort of.

At her words, Robin's lips curved into a smile, the faint light of the moon reflecting in his eyes and making them look more intense. "I hooked her up real good, didn't I?"

Rolling her eyes, she shrugged. "I don't know, why don't you find out yourself?"

Chucking, he leaned forward and kisser her.

At the contact of their lips finding each other as their breaths mingled, Regina's hand went up to the nape of his neck so her fingers could run up into his hair and he sneaked his hands underneath her shirt so that they could run up her spine. It was a nice sensation, her skin gladly receiving the warmth his hands were offering and her lips more than pleased with his.

But then, after several seconds he pulled away to look into her eyes and even when they were no longer kissing it was a perfect moment for Regina; his heart beating against hers, their eyes locked together and then the memory of the talk they just had encrypted in her mind. Sure, the conversation has been kind of cryptic but at the same time it said so much…

But as everything good in her life, the moment had an abrupt end when the silence of the night was disrupted with an eerie shout. It was a small voice, far in the distance… but even though it came out muffled, Regina could easily distinguish Roland calling for his Papa.

Robin could too, because as soon as his brain registered what was going on, the smile on his face fell and he was all of a sudden hurrying to his feet and searching for his bow.

It took Regina a moment to react, but when she did she shook her head no and getting in full alert mode she hurried after Robin because she had a feeling that they were about to find Roland but that getting to him wasn't going to be as easy as she has first hoped…


	13. Chapter 13

He was racing against the wind; his body cutting through the dense morning fog like an arrow shot in the dark and as he rushed ahead there was nothing he could feel other than the cold current of air blowing against his face, making his eyes narrow and his breath hitch as he moved forward.

It felt as if he was flying low, his mind barely comprehending how it was that his legs steadily moved as if they had a life of their own accord, or how it was that even though he was moving aimlessly and without a clear sense of direction, he kept pressing forward.

"Roland!" He called out again at the top of his lungs.

He knew he should stop, he knew he should probably clear the tumult of emotions that started raging in the pit of his stomach the moment he heard his son call for him with such a desperation in his voice so that he could try and figure out what to do and where to go.

But he couldn't, as he wasn't exactly in full control of his acts; no, instead he was being guided by pure instinct… he was forced to move by a blind panic that wasn't letting him think straight.

"Papa, help!"

Puffing the breath out of his lungs forcefully through his mouth, Robin halted on his tracks, trying desperately for his usually trained ear to pick on the direction of his son's voice; but it was as if the sound came distorted, echoing all around until all traces of the child's voice faded into nothing.

"Roland!"

Swirling around and trying to take a good look through the fog, the former outlaw ran both his hands along his hair. He felt lost; there was a sharp pain extending from the cut on his side all the way to his underarm and with the effort of running his heart was hammering hard against his ribcage.

Still, as the boots on his feet dug into the soft soil and the cold breeze swirled cruelly around him, the only latent though in his mind was trying to decide which way to go.

If it would be clearer and if he would know for sure that his boy actually has been walking around, he could easily track him. He could pick up a trail by searching for footprints and other giveaways; but unfortunately that was not the case so he was unsure of how to proceed.

"Robin-" Listening to Regina say his name in a raspy whisper, the blue-eyed man turned towards the source of the voice and as if she was a mirage, he saw her silhouette materialize by his side. "I can't get a clear sense of where he is."

Blinking one time and then a second time, Robin stared at her for several seconds, taking notice on the way she was breathing hard, on how her eyes were wide and wild and how her face looked more pale than it had any right to be.

She looked weary, and as his eyes drank on the image of her he couldn't help but to think that he probably looked the same way or maybe even worse; color drained off his face, chest heaving as a cold sweat was starting to run down his spine and most definitely on the verge of losing his mind. She at least looked focused and alert and as she moved her head from side to side to see if she could find his son, he couldn't help but to feel a wave of relief wash over him now that she was there.

He hadn't meant to leave her behind, especially not after such a crucial moment like the one they shared, but in his haste and desperation to get to Roland he ended up doing just that.

It has been like this, one moment all of his senses were still riding down the blissful aftermatch of what it was to feel the woman in the most intimate way possible and then it was chaos.

Going back to the moment before Roland started calling for help, things has been quite different when it came to him because yes, he had it very clear in his mind that his number one goal for being in that bizarre land was getting his son back, but at the same time there was something so very present on his mind and that was Regina. Especially after what happened during the night when their relationship took a huge turn in terms of intimacy and the truth was that what took place in the shelter between them was something he couldn't quite ignore.

He liked Regina, probably more than what he should and that was something that couldn't be denied. Ever since he rescued her from the sea and saw her trembling before him but with those entrancing fiery eyes staring daggers his way and her teeth bared like a wild cat, something inside of him wanted to reach to her.

He has been inexplicable drawn to her ever since and the more he knew of her the harder it was for him to look away. He saw more than the Evil Queen, more than what she wanted people to see and last night… well, last night he has been able to completely break past her walls and oh boy, he has been shook to the very foundation of his existence.

So aye, one minute his mind has still been reeling on the softness of her flesh underneath the curious touch of his fingertips, on the alluring scent he got to breathe off of her skin as his face buried into the crook of her neck and on the sweetness of her mouth as he kissed her long and deep while sinking into the velvety warmness of her very core; and then, all of a sudden Roland's voice came to disrupt his thinking and in a second, everything that wasn't the boy cleared off and all he could focus on was on finding him…

"I can't find him either." He said at last as his hand extended forward to grab the back of her head to pull her near.

She came easy enough so once she was close he kissed her temple, a silent attempt to let her know he was still very much aware of her, of what was brewing between them even though he was completely focused now on his son.

"I have to get to him, Regina… I have to."

As he said that, his tone carried a hint of desperation that he has been unable to hide and upon hearing it he had to bit hard on his lips to keep himself from saying more.

Not like he needed to say it for her to understand, but it was just that for the past few years of his life Roland has been everything he had left in the world and he couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

"I know, we'll find him."

Nodding and moving his hand to tenderly cup her cheek, Robin breathed out as his eyes fixed deep into hers. He wouldn't know how to put it in words, but even though her words felt reassuring, he also couldn't help but to find something extremely disquieting about the way his boy was calling out for him and he was sure his predicament would only alleviate once he had Roland with him so they get out of that wretched place.

"I'm trying to figure out what is this place and I just…" Regina stopped there, closing her eyes for a second as her fingers ran against her forehead. "The drawing we jumped into, the one Roland did wasn't like any other portal I've seen. It wasn't a known world but just… something he came up with so that he could live with you. At least that's what he told me when I asked him."

Furrowing his brow, Robin scoffed. He wasn't exactly following. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not saying this is what's happening for sure but there's a possibility that we are in some kind of made up world."

"Like in Roland's head?"

Her eyes rolled. "I know it sounds crazy… But anyhow, whatever this is and wherever we are, he can't be too far. Maybe if-" Pursing her lips, Regina lifted one of her hands and with a slight movement of her wrist the heavy mist began to clear.

The improvement was substantial even though an eerie calmness settled all around them so with the mentality to milk it for all it was worth it, Robin began calling for his son once again.

"Roland!" After a while his voice became raw and the chilly air that has taken a hold of their surroundings was making his throat feel like he just swallowed a bucket of sand, but because he got no immediate response he kept calling again and again. "Roland, can you hear me?"

"Papa? Papa help me please."

This time, the four years old boy's voice was louder and much clearer so he was able to locate the direction in which it came; he went after it immediately.

He ran into the strange surroundings, the increasing pain on his side secondary to the dread that settled in his gut when his ear picked up the sound of wind whistling loudly all around him. He wouldn't know how to explain it, but that was the kind of noise wind would make at the onset of a storm. It was a howl, only that it was ten times louder and in a way bone-chilling.

That didn't stop him though and it wasn't until he found himself in the middle of a field that he halted on his tracks, and as he stopped he slowly retrieved the bow from his back and aimed directly to what was causing so much fright to his boy.

"Can you see him?"

Listening to Regina's breathy question, Robin watched out of the corner of his eyes how a fireball formed in the palm of her hand. It hissed and cracked, and even though he was more than sure that he could take on the menace at hand by his own, he was glad that she was there by his side.

"There's crevice down in the trunk of the tree, I think he's in there." And aye, judging by how the creature keep reaching into it while it growled and groaned, he was pretty sure that Roland was in there.

"I'll distract him, you go and get Roland." Before he could protest that, he saw how Regina moved forward, her feet firmly set in the ground and her eyes holding that intense glint that seemed to characterize her. She looked like a vision and for a few seconds she was the only thing he could focus on. "Hey, you hideous freak, why don't you try for me instead?"

With that said, she threw the fireball to whatever kind of creature was pestering Roland. It hit it right on the back of his head and with a screech, it turned furiously towards her.

Another fireball erupted from her hand quickly so when the thing that strangely resembled an troll but bigger and uglier came charging after her, she hit it again, a vicious smile corrupting her lips when it stumbled.

"Is that all you got?"

As far as Robin could tell, she apparently had it under control, but because he was not risking it he went to stand behind her, shot two arrows to the creature and then ran to get his son.

He ran as fast as he could, as if he was being chased by devil himself and it was only when he was by the trunk that he dared speaking his boy's name. "Roland, hey there…"

"Papa?" Not waiting a second longer, the boy crawled out of the crevice and before he could even get up Robin was grabbing him, sweeping him on his arms and holding him tight against him. "I'm sorry I didn't stay put, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, it's alright." Robin tried to soothe his child as he cried in his arms. "I'm here now."

"Is he okay?"

Sucking in a breath, Robin tipped his head to the side to take a look at Regina. She was now standing by his side, her lips parted and her eyes wide. At the question, he felt Roland all over, trying to see if he was hurt. "He got a hell of a scare but he seems fine."

Nodding, Regina pursed her lips. "Just so you know, I had that thing under control."

Unable to help himself, Robin scoffed at the way she snarkily said that. "I know." Then, without thinking too much of it he leaned forward and kissed her full on the lips.

She put no resistance to the contact and just let his mouth take possession of hers, and when he finally pulled away she limited herself on just settling her eyes on his. There was a question on her soft brown orbs but she didn't voice it.

"Let's get the bloody hell out of here."

"I want to go home." Roland mumbled, apparently a bit more calmed down while holding tighter to his neck.

Clearing her throat, Regina mentioned something about creating a portal and once they made it into the camp she started working on it. She did it the same way she has been doing it back at Rumplelstinskin's castle, her focus on what she was doing while she sat on the ground.

When she was allegedly done, she wiped her hands to her pants and instructed him how they were going to do it.

"Just hold him tight." She finished, reaching for Roland and running her hands through his curls.

Kissing the top of his son's head while refusing to drop her gaze, he nodded. "I will."

What happened next happened fast, so fast that his mind wasn't able to register it as it went on. One second he was about to reach for Regina to kiss her before jumping into the drawing and the next one a piercing shriek was drilling deep into his skull.

It made him cringe at how brutal the noise was and as he turned his head towards the sound, he saw another one of the creatures running towards them. It was smaller that the one he and Regina took down, but this one had some kind of small lance in its hand and as if in slow motion, he threw it their way.

Robin saw it happen, even predicted where the sharp object was heading to, but because he had Roland in his arms he couldn't exactly do much to retaliate. The only thing he was able to do was swirl around to get Roland out of harms way and take the impact himself.

He was ready for it, no hesitation and definitely no second thoughts, but when instead of the lance incrusting itself on his flesh what he felt was a hard shove that made him stumble a few steps ahead, he was left more than a little confused.

It just happened fast… way too fast, and it was only when he saw Regina falling in a boneless heap to the ground that he understood what happened.

"No." He said in shock as he put Roland on his feet. Then, as if his body was acting on its own accord he grabbed for the bow and shot the creature right between the eyes.

He didn't know how he did it or how much time elapsed between one thing and the other, he only knew that he somehow ended down on his knees while reaching for Regina.

"What have you done?" He asked as her eyes moved from one side to the other.

"The portal… it'll close."

"You're injured… Regina, what have you done?" He asked again in a hiss, listening to Roland cry somewhere behind him while seeing her there, bleeding as her face showed a great deal of distress. He just couldn't understand why she did such a stupid thing.

Not answering to him and instead closing her eyes, Regina lifted a hand to make the lance disappear from where it penetrated her flesh, it made her groan and not really knowing what to do, Robin reached for the wound and pressed both his hands against it, putting all the pressure he could on it.

He meant to help the flow of blood slow down, but he didn't think it was helping much.

More in desperation that anything else, Robin lifted her up in his arms and calling for Roland, he made him climb onto his back. It was that way, with his boy clinging to him and with an almost passed out Regina pressed to him, that he jumped into the portal. Destination, unknown.


	14. Chapter 14

He couldn't breathe…

Despite the increasing pain on his side, regardless of the pressure that was making it impossible for him to open his eyes or even the gut-wrenching feeling of being sucked into the void, the most predominant sensation afflicting the man infamously known as Robin Hood was the fact that he couldn't breathe.

Aye, that his passage of air was viciously being blocked, even if it momentarily, came as some sort of blessing as it meant that Roland was holding to him for dear life, but as his lungs screamed in pain for the lack of air being provided to them he couldn't help but to wonder if this was going to be finally it for him.

It would be tragic, that after everything he has survived and after everything he has gone through, that at the end he was going to leave this existence chocked to death by his own son.

He certainly hoped that wouldn't be his fate as it would be devastating for the boy to lose him as well and under such circumstances; and then to take things to another level, it could be even worse with the fact that him perishing could turn to be deathly for the woman he was straining to hold against him as they fell and fell through the portal.

He didn't know where they were heading to and the last thing he wanted was to leave Roland fatherless and with an injured Regina on his care while in an unknown destination.

With all those preoccupations invading his mind, Robin opened his mouth with the intention of telling his four year old boy to ease the hold around his throat a little, but he couldn't speak… and even if he could he wasn't sure Roland would be able to hear.

The pressure all around them was deafening, so being able to speak could prove to be of no help at all.

Knowing that only made his apprehension grow stronger and feeling as if he was bordering into the edge of desperation, Robin struggled a little until he was able to hold Regina just with one arm. His intention has been to reach for Roland so that he could also hold him against him instead of on his back, but when the motion provoked the Queen to almost slide out of his hold he panicked.

He didn't want to let go of her. She was barely conscious if not completely passed out and losing his grip on her could turn lethal on her part. That's why he went back into holding her with both arms, hugging her limp body as hard as he could as they continued to fall.

Fortunately, before his life disintegrated into nothing, a whooshing sound and a sudden bright light flashed all around them and before he could register what was happening he was hitting some sort of ground.

Upon impact, his son let go of him with a soft yelp and he gasped, taking in a deep breath that helped appease the sharp pain that being unable to breathe left on him.

The air felt sweet and rewarding, but because he had more pressing matters to attend to he didn't dwell on the feeling too much.

"Roland… are you alright?" He managed to ask, his eyes looking around until he found his little face by his side. He was crying, his soft brown eyes full of tears, but other than that he seemed uninjured.

"It's my fault." The child cried as he once again clung to him.

"No, it's alright, everything will be alright.

Only that he wasn't so sure about that. Regina was still in his arms and by the dead weight she was pulling on his arms he could tell that she was not conscious. Then add to that the fact that he didn't know where they were and that he felt pretty banged up himself and that was enough for him to wonder.

But he was not going to voice those doubts out loud and not wanting to waste more of their precious time with such mundane things as overthinking, he softly laid the woman in the strange hard ground and hurried to check on her.

"Regina." He touched her face tentatively, the ball of his fingers running along her cheek and then down to her neck. She was looking as if all the color simply drained out of her so she was probably more pale than what he was comfortable with and if anything, that made his chest constrict around his heart. "Come on, don't do this to me."

His fingers kept touching, searching for a pulse as his eyes settled on her face.

She looked peaceful and not painfully strained as she has been before crossing through the portal and he didn't like that, because as much as he has hated looking at her as she bore her pain, at least he has known she was there, still with them.

Now he couldn't get anything out of her. She just looked as if she was sleeping, her eyelashes brushing the soft skin underneath her closed eyes and her full lips clasped shut.

"Regina…" He called softly for her again. But still, nothing.

It was if she was the just an empty carcass and if it wasn't because she was still breathing, even if barely, he would have feared the worst just happened.

But because he didn't want to nurture such dark thoughts, the blue-eyed man moved the hand that has been feeling for a pulse and used it to brush her hair away from her face. He did that as carefully as he could, then biting hard on the inside of his cheek he looked around to see if he recognized his surroundings.

He didn't, everything around felt weird and far from the scenery he was used to, meaning that at least they successfully crossed over into another realm.

Perhaps they were in Storybrooke, that strange land where Regina has been trying to get back to since the moment she was back into The Enchanted Forest.

Hoping that was the case, Robin blinked rapidly as he considered taking the woman into his arms once again and just look for help. If they were indeed in Storybrooke, there must be someone, anyone around and probably taking his chances looking for them was better than just staying there.

Decided and ready to do just that, he moved his other hand and put pressure into her wound. She didn't even move as he did that, didn't even flinch and he liked that even less.

"Papa, what's wrong with her?" Roland asked between chocked little sobs and Robin had to suck in a shaky breath.

What was happening was too much of a déjà vu moment for comfort and his mind went back to that place in time where he lost his wife. It was the same feeling of impotence mixed with frustration and pain and he shook his head no. This couldn't be happening to him. Not again and not with his son there as a witness.

"No… Regina, not you too… come on."

There was a hint of desperation in his voice, he heard it and didn't even meant to hide it. That was how he was feeling, desperate, and not just because of the strange circumstances in which all happened, but because the last thing he wanted in life was live a moment like that again.

It may sound selfish, but it was just that it has taken him years to crawl out of the whole losing Marian left him into and he couldn't go through that again.

Not with Regina… not when he just found her, and especially not when even a day hasn't passed by since those lips that remained unmoving now had been kissing him…

She has been so full of life back then, her skin flushed and vibrant and now she was barely holding on.

It was as he mused about that when he felt rather than saw how Roland let go of him, then before he could do more than blink, the boy was at the other side of Regina. Once there, he placed his little hand on top of the much larger one of his father, partly covering it as he added more pressure into Regina's wound.

It was only then that Robin Hood truly noticed the huge amount of blood Regina had lost. It was everywhere, soaking her clothes, in her skin, in his own shirt and pants and in his hands. It was even deeply incrusted into his fingernails and as if in a trance, he just stared at the mess.

It didn't look good… it didn't even feel good in his gut.

But then, as the possibility that it was just too late and as the worse case scenario started to sneak into his psyche, there was a tingling sensation running through his hand and into Regina as Roland kept his hand over him. It was a surge, a pressure building and fluidly transferring from one place to another.

"What are you doing?" The question came out in a whisper as he lifted his eyes to his boy. It was that way, with wonder in his eyes that he saw Roland fully concentrated on what he was doing.

He has never seen his son like that, but he has seen Regina sport a similar look and glint in her eye and that made him immediately know that his son, his child was using magic.

Whatever it was that he did, it took the boy several seconds to finish it and then, as if it was nothing he took his hand away and went back to clung to him.

Lost and unsure, Robin parted his lips and scrunched his nose, but before he could ask what was going on he saw Regina's lips curl a bit and her head roll to the side. It wasn't much, sure but it was something.

"Hey," He hurried to say as a huge wave of relief washed over him, his fingers back on her face. As a response, her eyes opened to slits and he let go of a deep breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"Are we…" She began to say, her voice barely more than a raspy whisper, but then unable to finish the sentence she winced in pain and closed her eyes back shut.

"Shhh, it's alright." He whispered soothingly as he gathered her in his arms and lifted up to get some help.

He did it even though his side was now screaming in protest and with Roland holding to his shirt he began to walk along the hard path underneath them.

"Robin-" She tried to talk again. Her face was basically buried into the crook of his neck so her voice came out even more muffled. "Are we… in Storybrook?"

"I don't know, love." He replied as he really didn't know where was it that they landed into. The only thing that he knew was that he needed to find help and the sooner, the better.

Straining the already burning muscles of his arms to keep her up, Robin groaned. For being such a light person, he still struggled with the weight of her. It was probably because of his own wound, not that he was going to let that stop him.

"Do you remember when I told you there was a fine line that crossed into being stupid and that you were tiptoeing into it? Well, what you did was extremely stupid. You should have let me take that hit."

Despite the situation and despite the pain she was obviously feeling, Regina scoffed. "As if you could have taken it and survive."

"I don't care." He hissed so that Roland wouldn't listen. "You shouldn't have done that."

Humming, Regina said nothing more and Robin kept walking. He did that for more than a few miles, not seeing a soul moving around, but then his eyes cough a structure that was illuminated all the way through and he started walking that way.

"Don't let go of me Roland." Robin said when he was about to kick the door that lead inside open. He didn't know what he could find in there but because it was the only option at hand, he pushed through.

"I won't."

"I need help." He stated once inside, his eyes drinking on the sight he encountered. It was some kind of tavern, with people dressed in strange clothes sitting around the tables, eating and talking animatedly. There were even some kids so he relaxed a little, even when a few of the men stood from their seats in full defensive mode.

"Oh my God is that… is that Regina?"

Parting his lips but not daring to reply to the question, Robin looked at the short haired woman who just spoke the words. He knew the Queen wasn't exactly the kind of person that inspired people around to be kind and he wasn't sure in what realm they stepped into and what kind of reputation she had there, so he needed to be careful.

"Please, she's hurt."

"Mom!" As the words were spoken from the back of the tavern, Robin moved his head just in time to see a young boy running towards him. He has seen him before, through the crystal ball he gave Regina so he was going to assume he was Henry. "Mom."

But before he could go too far, a woman grabbed him and stopped him from getting closer. "Come on kid, you don't to see her like that."

"No!" Henry spoke in fierce determination and made it to him.

It all happened too fast. As Henry hugged and tried to get a once again unconscious Regina to open her eyes, the questions of what happened and of who he was were shot from everyone around.

It was a bit overwhelming, enough to make Roland start crying again. And not only that, but amid the chaos someone tried to take Regina from his arms. He didn't let the blond man do it and was ready to use his crossbow if anyone managed to snap her away.

It was insane and not exactly helpful; it wasn't until the woman who first spoke made everyone quiet down that Robin began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Would everyone just calm down and… take Regina do the damn hospital. It's obvious she needs it now."

Not sure what that meant but seeing how Henry agreed, Robin nodded. It was only when they were inside a wheeled carriage, with Regina secured on his lap, Henry to his left and Roland to his side that he dared to ask.

He has answered all of their questions, even the ones that sounded stupid under the circumstances so what harm could it make for him to ask one simple thing?

"Where are we?"

The one who answered was Henry, and he did it without letting go of his mother's hand. "We are in Storybrooke. We are home…"

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

_She was floating. Her body seemed to have lost all the weight it has once carried and it was now floating brokenly; floating in the air… floating through space… floating everywhere._

_She liked it when she was floating, when she was nothing, because in this newly found state of elevation her mere mortal flesh couldn't be mortified with pain and her soul couldn't be bothered by being scared. She just floated and floated without a definite course._

_Sometimes while she was moving at great speed through the air she would hear voices, they echoed all around her; eternally soft and carrying a deep sorrow she couldn't quite comprehend._

_All the voices were oddly familiar and she knew that if she concentrated long enough she could put faces to those whispers… would even see their eyes, perpetually digging into her own._

_They pulled at her and sometimes she felt like discontinuing floating so she could go to them, so she could answer their call. But when she wanted to go wherever they were another voice, stronger, darker and more than a little terrifying would call for her too and she would freeze midair._

_'Stay, stay and come with us. Come to the dark where you belong.'_

_This particular call made her feel like she was about to spiral out of control. It was the voice of her past, of her demons; it was her mother and Leopold and a thousand more, all at the same time and as they tried to lure her towards them, the taste of vile would settle at the back of her throat and she was sure she was going to choke with it._

_Just to hear them provoked a chill to run through her broken body and she would suddenly start to feel a severe cold that burned down to her bones and their lingering voices would materialize around her throat, squeezing slowly… closing around her until she was sure she wouldn't be able to breathe._

_No, she didn't want to stay with them nor did she want to go to where pain and sorrow awaited… floating without a care in the world was so much better and if she could, she would float forever._

_XxXxXxX_

_Regina woke up with the distinct sensation of a strangled gasp getting stuck in the back of her throat, her passage of air momentarily interrupted and blocked._

_For a terrifying second she was sure she was going to choke on it so her hands shot up, reaching her neck so that her fingernails could lightly scratch on the skin. Not that the act was necessary, because as she quickly realized, she could breathe just fine._

_'It was a dream'_ _She thought to herself… another one of her wretched dreams._

Feeling slightly disoriented and blinking her eyes open only to find she was surrounded by pure and complete darkness, The Queen tried to sit; as she did so, she emitted a low growl of discomfort that felt like it was torn out of the very core of her existence.

Everything hurt, not in an unbearable kind way that would make you writhe in pain, but the kind that even though dull was persistent, throbbing and gnawing through flesh and bone without mercy.

Closing her eyes again and biting hard into her lips, the woman moved her head from side to side as her mind slowly started to crawl out of the deep state of sleep she has been submerged until a second ago.

Waking up was gradual, first she opened her brown colored eyes to slits and then her brain started to fully function… a collage of images that seemed too unreal to be true dancing inside her head.

The only thing was that… they weren't unreal; the images invading her mind were actually little bits of memories of something that was very real. Roland in danger, the three of them getting attacked while the portal was closing… Robin's face fading into nothing.

"No..." She rasped out of the blue, trying to sit again. It was then that she realized her entire right arm was tingling, the nagging sensation running all the way from her shoulder and right to the tip of her fingers. It was annoying and bothersome and when she tried to flex her fingers, the discomfort only grew stronger.

Groaning and closing her eyes once more, the dark-haired woman breathed in and then slowly out, gradually realizing that her arm was trapped under a body that wasn't her own and thus the reason why the limb fell asleep on her.

That right there took her aback, but then little by little she started to remember more of what happened, enough to get a clear sense of her situation. She was in Storybrooke. Somehow, someway, they've made it through the portal and now she was home.

"Henry-" She whispered groggily to herself, leaving the arm where it was as she waited for the feeling to fade away on its own.

It wasn't the most comfortable position in the world, but she didn't want to wake him up. She just wanted to keep him there forever, breathing into his boyish scent and feeling the warmness of him snuggling against her.

Now that she was close to being fully awake, Regina had a better notion of what happened. She has been badly hurt when stuck in Roland's dream-world and as proof of that she could still feel her entire midsection hurting.

From her hip to her ribs she felt as if she was on fire and no, it was far from being pleasant. Sure, since her arrival at the hospital they've done everything in their power to dull down the pain so it was bearable, but she could still feel it.

She also remembered how she finally reunited with her son, and even though she has been kind of out of it when it happened, the wave of relief that washed over her still covered the whole essence of her. Getting him back was what she has been working so hard to do for so long, and now he was there, with her.

Content with the achievement regardless of the pain, her lips curved into the phantom of a smile and for the longest of times she remained like that, with Henry sleeping close to her, finally tangible; but when the need to use the bathroom started to grow on her she regretfully began to disentangle herself from the boy to start the process of getting out of bed.

It was arduous work, but with a little bit of struggle she managed to at least sit down.

It was then, with her feet dangling from the hospital bed and the palms of her hands firmly set against the mattress that she used magic to at least turn on the light of the bathroom.

Upon the sudden brightness, she was obliged to blink her eyes several times, but still with a blurred vision she saw Robin stirring from the chair he has been apparently using to sleep.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He groaned, apparently taken over by an uncomfortable sleep.

Tilting her head up, Regina silently observed as the bowman got to his feet to make it towards her, his hands reaching for her arms to make her stay still.

The touch forced her to remember everything that happened between the man and herself previous to them finding Roland and that made her tense a bit. Images of how she carelessly allowed herself to be dragged into the moment… how she gave him liberties she has denied so many before him swamping over her.

It was only for a second though, because as soon as her eyes met with the warmness of his own stare she found herself a bit more calmed, even soothed and not for the first time she wondered what was this man doing to her.

"I need to use the bathroom." She said, her voice a little hoarse. Her mouth also felt like it was filled with cotton and she grimaced at the sensation, moving her tongue around only to realize it was all in her head. "And I need water."

Robin complied to her last request fast enough, and when a glass was put on her lips she drank greedily.

"Easy, you haven't had anything in your belly for quite sometime so this could settle badly."

Nodding and taking one last sip, Regina closed her eyes. "How long I've been here?"

"A couple of days. The wound is healing just fine, but you lost a lot of blood and needed the rest."

With her eyes still closed, Regina held to Robin and got to her feet. It hurt quite some and her legs felt like rubber, but she managed. Once steady, he helped her into the bathroom so that she could go with her business.

Once done and refreshed she made it out, meeting with Robin once again. This time, before she could make it back to bed she felt the former thief turned lover walk around her to wrap his arms to her.

It was an organic movement, her face automatically resting to his shoulder and her own arms circling his waist while he buried his nose into her hair.

No, she didn't know what he was doing and why she was not putting any resistance to him. She just knew that it felt good to be there, in his arms and his scent dancing all around her.

"Where's Roland?"

Robin sighed, she felt the movement in his chest, raising and falling underneath her cheek. "Right there, he wouldn't leave this room no matter what."

Regina moved her face to where Robin pointed out and indeed, there was a small bundle wrapped in a thick blanket. It was apparently Roland, laying across a chair at the other side of the bed.

Groaning, Regina shook her head no. That had to be uncomfortable, same with Robin, who was much bigger, sleeping in a chair and same with Henry, squeezing with her in a twin size bed in a cold hospital room.

"Why don't you all go? I'm fine here and you could be so much comfortable… anywhere."

His hands moved to the back of her head and he made her face him, his eyes digging in that way they had when looking at her. It was as if he was staring straight into her soul, bearing her of everything until she was completely exposed to him.

"Are you kicking us out? Well that's quite rude, My Queen, which in effect is a good thing since it means you're back at well, being you."

Getting lost into his stare and the soft smile playing on his lips, Regina allowed her eyes to drink in the image of him. He looked tired, the usual glint on his eyes a little dull and the smile not quite reaching the blue orbs. That right there made her remember how he has been injured himself.

"Your wound…"

"I'm alright. I've been patched up too."

"Still, you shouldn't all been sleeping here."

"Henry wouldn't have it any other way and me and the boy neither. Snow White offered to take Roland for the night but he simply refused. He doesn't know her and neither do I and after everything that happened we would rather stick together anyway."

Swallowing hard down, she comprehended that it wasn't like they had anywhere else to go either. They were in Storybrooke and in their eyes this was an unfamiliar realm full of strangers.

"Sorry I dragged you both here. I wasn't exactly thinking-"

"Shh, it's alright." He kissed her forehead and pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her a little tighter.

He held her like that for a little while before speaking again. "You gave me quite a scare back there, Regina. And I know I've said this before but you shouldn't have done that. You really shouldn't have. I don't know what I would have done with myself if I wouldn't have been able to take you here on time."

Lifting her face to the man, Regina fixed her eyes on his. What she did to prevent both Robin and Roland from being hurt, she did it without thinking, basically moved by instinct. But she was sure that if she would have to do it again she would, because overall that they all ended up in that situation had partially been her fault… well, Tinkerbell's to be more specific.

But the truth was that if all hell broke loose in The Enchanted Forest, it has been because she went back, and if she hadn't been back Roland would have never gotten himself in that mess to begin with.

So she did what she had to do and that was it. No regrets.

Now, instead of saying all that, what Regina did was move her lips to his and just make them press together. He didn't complain nor did he made an attempt to change the pace, he just allowed her to feel around, giving him soft pecks that he reciprocated without any kind of hurry, his hand buried in her hair as hers settled to his shoulders.

It was a strange feeling doing that, letting anyone past her walls as she was not yet used to it. The development in hers and Robin's relationship was still so new and it happened so fast that she really didn't know what to think of it, she only knew that it felt good, that he felt good so she went ahead and parted her mouth so that her tongue could touch his lips, asking for entrance.

He granted it, and when their tongues met she sighed, her head angling to the side so that he could explore deeper.

It was as they kissed that she heard the distinct sound of someone clearing their throat and as if remembering herself, she pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Came the voice of none other than Emma Swan herself and clenching her jaw a little, Regina turned to see the woman standing at the door of the room with both The Charming fools. "I need to talk to you, now."

Twisting her lips and definitely not liking the woman's tone, Regina eyed her down. She said nothing though, first because Robin's hand settling on her stomach was silently telling her to calm down and second, because Henry could wake up at any given time and she didn't want him to wake up to her arguing with Emma.

"You have to leave Storybrooke tonight."

"What?" She scoffed, and Robin's hand made a bit more of pressure, probably trying to keep her in place. It hurt a bit but she didn't even flinch. "Who the hell do you think you are telling me what to do or where to be?"

"Listen, Regina, we could stay here arguing all night long but it would just make us waste time. You need to leave, and you need to take Henry with you."

Blinking in confusion, the Queen scoffed again. "What?"

This time it was Snow the one who talked. "Pan is here at Storybrooke. He has been hiding, apparently waiting for his chance to strike and he found it now that you are here. He wants to break into your vault and he wants Henry, so we thought that the best chance to keep that from happening was for you two to go for a while until he find a way to defeat him for good."

Regina opened her mouth to refute. "I can defeat Pan."

"You are too weak, you can barely walk so what makes you think you can help? I'll handle Pan."

"Well I can still walk circles around you like this so what makes you think you can defeat him over me? The way I see it you're the one who let him stay here all this time so excuse me if I doubt your competence."

"Regina." Robin whispered warningly in her ear and she clasped her mouth shut.

"We packed some of your stuff and Henry's, just enough for a couple of weeks. We also put some clothes for Robin and Roland so…"

"Are you all serious?" She said in disbelief, more mad about how they walked into her house to nose into her things than anything else.

"We are, so let me say goodbye to my kid before you go." Emma snapped before walking past her to wake Henry up.

As she did that, Regina looked at the Charmings and then at Robin, wondering what the hell was really going on…

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

If there was something to be said about Regina, it was that she lived her emotions to the extreme. It has always been like that for her and even thought there was no doubt in her mind that allowing her natural instincts to drag her around was the cause of all her problems, truth was that she just couldn't stop herself from letting feelings overcome her.

Sometimes, those emotions shifted from one place to another in a relatively short amount of time so it came as no surprise that her moods were ever-changing.

From being entirely livid she could go to acting overly despondent only to bounce back cunning and scheming.

That was how it was for her, how the whole essence of her operated and true to her nature, in that moment she was being overwhelmed with a few contradicting emotions.

They pushed and pulled at her so she didn't exactly know where she should stand.

For starters, the first one of those emotions to overpower her has been anger because how dare Emma Swan and The Charming fools invade the privacy of her sick room to tell her what to do? Who did they really think they were, walking in there as if they owned the damn place, undermining her and doubting her capacity to go toe to toe with a foe to defend her son?

She was Regina Mills, The Queen and most powerful sorcerer back to back in that realm and all others so she was not going to leave _her_ town to Peter Pan just because Snow White and her offspring told her to.

They were dead wrong if they believed she was going to leave everything she has worked so hard and for so long just like that…

But then, as those thoughts settled stubbornly in her mind and the determination not let them have a say on what she did kicked in, another emotion began crawling into her psyche and instead of furious she began to feel optimistic, maybe even hopeful.

Because if she for once listened to half of what they said, if she took Henry and just… disappeared for good… she could actually have everything she ever wanted in life and more.

Leaving Storybrooke while everyone else remained behind to fend for themselves meant that it would be just her and Henry; no Emma, no Neal… and not an entire town looking at her with hatred and distrust or as if she was the devil reincarnated. And then if she took Robin and Roland along she could just go anywhere in the world and simply start anew.

Yes, her thing with Robin was still flourishing; in fact it was so new that she still wasn't sure what it meant… but she was sure that if she just let it be she could easily fall into everything the man could offer.

He was supposed to be her soulmate after all so yes, he along with the two boys could be her perfect happy ending and wasn't that everything she ever aspired for?

People who cared for her, a family…

The realization of that right there took her to an entirely different mood and her thoughts started rolling to a different tune, scheming.

What if instead of waiting a few weeks before coming back she went away forever?

Surely Henry wouldn't have any of that, but maybe before departing she could make it into her vault so that she could work on some memory potion for him. With very little effort she could make him forget about everything that would make him want to come back and sure, why not, she could also somehow put some distorted but very pleasant memories to help him adapt.

It was risky and definitely egoistic from her part, but this was basically what Mary Margaret and Emma were putting at her feet so who could blame her if she just took the ball and ran?

Bringing a hand to her mouth so that she could nibble on the inside of her thumb, the dark-haired woman kept walking back and forth all along the hospital room as her mind kept circling on and on around the opportunity laying at her feet.

"Regina, why don't you sit down for a second before you hurt yourself all over again?"

"I'm fine." She barked absent-mindedly as she continued pacing and thinking.

Now yes, truth was that she wasn't exactly in optimum condition to be out of bed because the still healing wound on her side was bothersome and making her move at the pace of a caravan of sloths, but all that was secondary to the real problem at hand.

"Then stay still for my sake; watching you work a hole through the floor with all that pacing is quite nerve-wracking for me right now."

Halting abruptly on her tracks and tilting her head up so that she could look at Robin, Regina blinked her eyes slowly.

In that moment, as she looked into the clear blue of his eyes she noticed how he was just there, slightly leaning forward as he rested his elbows to his knees, hands clasped together and his face set somberly as he stared back at her.

He looked a bit confused if not completely lost and it suddenly hit her how strange everything must be looking for him now. He has basically been torn out of The Enchanted Forest, the only realm he has ever known only to be thrown right in the middle of a very messed up situation in Storybrooke.

Add to that how Roland has been lost, the odyssey they went through to find him and now Peter Pan; so yeah, under those circumstances it was no surprise that he may feel a bit off.

"Come here." Robin said, his voice so low in his throat that it came out as a raspy whisper.

As if walking in a dream, Regina made it to him, and when he extended his hand towards her she grabbed for it, letting him guide her forward until she was simply standing right in front of his sitting form.

"What's in that pretty head of yours?" As soon as the question rolled off his lips, Robin tugged at her hand.

His intentions were clear, he wanted her to sit down with him and even when doing so felt like a strange thing to do, she did, slowly accommodating across his lap and wondering if she has ever done this in her life, casually sitting over someone.

She didn't think so, not even as a child because her mother wouldn't allow it and let alone later in her adult life because it was definitely not regal; but then again with Robin it felt right, like it was natural, especially when he placed a kiss on her shoulder before pulling her even closer.

"Because it's obvious something's going on in here." He added, brushing his fingers over her temples.

Sighing and somehow having this man so close make her feel comfortable, Regina felt like she needed to let go some of the pressure weighting her down so she closed her eyes. "I don't…" She lifted a hand up in the air to then let it fall over her own lap. "I don't know what to do. I mean… this is my town, like I literally made it out of nothing so I can't just leave it. Let alone because the Charming clan told me to. But…"

She left it there for a few seconds, considering how bad it would be if she just admit out loud that she desperately wanted to have Henry for herself.

Yes, she knew that if anything, she should simply consider going out of town until she could completely heal and then take care of the Peter Pan business herself, but at the same time, an overpowering selfish part of her wanted to send everyone to hell and do what was best for her only.

It was fair, because when she disappeared nobody in that town cared enough to look for her. They just left her for gone, probably even felt relieved she was nowhere to be found; especially Emma Swan.

Twisting her lips into a grimace of annoyance, Regina thought that if the blonde did not care, not even when Henry suffered her absence, then why couldn't she repay her in kind?

"Staying in town is just me being stupidly stubborn because if Pan is really here all I should be thinking is how to protect Henry, above everything else and… there's Roland to think about as well and I can't… I just don't think I can physically or in any aspect protect anyone in that matter. Not right now."

Admitting that last part almost made her choke with her own words, that was how difficult it was for her to confess she wasn't feeling entirely okay, but as if sensing her discomfort, Robin brought a hand to the small of her back so that he could reassure her, rubbing on her lightly.

It felt good, so opening her eyes she looked at him, immediately getting lost into the depths of his intense stare.

"Well," Clearing his throat, the blue eyed man reached for the hand resting in her lap, his fingers tracing random patters over her knuckles. "I clearly don't know a bloody damn thing about what's going on here, but if Henry, Roland or even you are in danger while being in this place, then I think the answer should be clear."

Breathing out, Regina rested her forehead to his, closing her eyes and feeling how his nose brushed lightly against hers. It was a simple touch, maybe even silly, but despite the circumstances her lips curved into the phantom of a smile and she turned her hand palm up, allowing that way for their fingers to lace together. "I know. I think I just hate having to…"

Before she could continue talking, the door to the room opened up again and a blonde came in. Oh but it wasn't Emma who several minutes ago woke up Henry to say goodbye and who still was talking to him outside the door… no, this was another type of blonde and as soon as the chocolate brown orbs of Regina's eyes saw her, the pleasant feeling Robin has managed to make her feel vanished and she suddenly felt like her blood turned to lava as it ran through her veins and she shot up to her feet immediately.

She didn't even mind the wound, didn't even feel it.

"You." Baring her teeth and feeling how her heart rate increased at ridiculous speed, Regina's entire body came to full alert. She even felt her vision blurring as the other woman just looked at her through hugely wide eyes. She just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights and it made Regina even angrier. "I'm going to kill you with my bare hands."

Before she could take a step forward, Robin grabbed her waist and stopped her from doing something stupid. She tried to break free, but the only thing she managed was to hurt herself.

"Hey, calm down… calm."

Hissing in pain, Regina lifted a finger in Tinker's direction. "You almost have me killed. Do you even know the damn mess you created?" Her voice dripped venom as she said the words because really…

First it has been how she almost drowned in the ocean when she fell through the portal. Then it was Mulan and Robin's men wanting to take her down, followed by a mob who wanted to burn alive her then ending with the rest of the scum who wanted to just get a ride out of her.

That was without mentioning the thing with Roland and the trolls-alike creatures that almost did it for her so yes, overall she almost died in several occasions after that forced trip to The Enchanted Forest so in her mind it was fine that she felt like crushing the Fairy right where she stood.

"It worked, you found him, you found the man with the lion tattoo."

"What?"

Clenching her jaw as painfully as she could, Regina set TinkerBell with a hard glare.

Between one thing and the other, she hasn't been able to drop the bomb of them being soulmates or whatever to Robin yet and she really didn't want him to know from a third person.

In fact, she wasn't even sure she wanted to tell him yet if at all. That could end up being counterproductive because what if he freaked out? What if he bolted? Because realistically speaking, it wasn't a small thing to be the soulmate of the Evil Queen.

"Shut your damn mouth before I do it for you."

"Regina." Robin whispered in her ear, his arm circling around her to hold her still. He was by then standing behind her so not wanting him to think she was out of control, she placed a hand over his arm and took in a deep breath.

"Get out of here, Tinkerbell, or I won't be made responsible for what I do."

Without blinking, the blonde spoke. "I know you're mad and you are in all your right to be so, but I did what I did so you could finally have this so Regina, don't mess it up again. This, what's going on right now is a chance you won't have again so take it and run away with it."

"What's going on here?"

This one was Emma talking right now as she walked in with a teary-eyed Henry. It was exactly what she needed to complete her misery so she groaned. But then when the boy set his eyes on her, he ran in her direction and hugged her.

"Nothing, I was just going." Tinker said and true to her words, she left.

"We shouldn't waste so much time." Emma said, her face set into a stoic mask. "Your car is down in the parking along with your things."

Wanting nothing more than to tell the woman to screw herself, Regina ran her hands over Henry's back and then, with a determined look on her eyes she clenched her jaw. "You're right, we will leave now." But first, she needed to make a stop at her vault.

There were a few things she needed from there and she was not going to leave without them. In that moment, she was determined to leave and never come back, but little did she know that she would have to… she would come back sooner that what she was scheming to and that when she did, everything and everyone would be gone.


End file.
